The convicted murderer Bryan Kohberger plans to file for post-conviction relief after pleading guilty to killing four University of Idaho students in a 4 a.m. home invasion attack.
Kohberger intends to argue that he received bad counsel during his trial, which led to his guilty plea.
He made his intentions known in a written message, claiming that "justice was not served" due to a "broken plea." The term "broken plea" is also the title of a recent book about the case that shed new light on the defense strategy used at trial.
Author Chris Whitcomb was surprised by Kohberger's use of the term, as he had never spoken to the defendant before. Kohberger's decision to use this term suggests that he may not have fully understood or participated in the decision to plead guilty.
In order to succeed with his post-conviction relief request, Kohberger would need to demonstrate "manifest injustice." This means that his lawyers would have had to deceive or mislead him in some way, which is a significant burden of proof.
Kohberger is currently serving four consecutive life sentences, with no possibility of parole, plus an additional 10 years for the murders of Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves, which took place on November 13, 2022.
