Murder In Moscow: Bryan Kohberger’s Family Backs His Challenge to the Guilty Plea (9/17/26)

Bryan Kohberger’s family publicly backed his effort to undo the guilty plea that resulted in four consecutive life sentences for the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. In a statement to ABC News, the family said its support did not come from disregard for the victims or their families, but from a desire to see what it called the “complete and unvarnished truth” emerge through a full trial rather than through the plea agreement. Kohberger, who pleaded guilty in July 2025, is now seeking post-conviction relief and claims he was pressured into admitting to crimes he says he did not commit. He has alleged that his former defense team misled him about the strength of his case, failed to properly review or disclose potentially exculpatory evidence and convinced him that entering a false guilty plea was legally acceptable.


The effort has also brought renewed attention to arguments from forensic criminologist Brent Turvey, who had been retained by Kohberger’s defense before the plea. Turvey told ABC News that Kohberger and his family were not fully informed about evidence he believed supported the defense, including concerns about how the knife sheath was handled, FBI hair analysis that he said excluded Kohberger, and weaknesses he saw in the cellphone and vehicle-location evidence. Kohberger has separately asked for Judge Steven Hippler to be removed from the post-conviction proceedings, citing harsh comments Hippler made at sentencing, and has asked that the case be returned to Latah County. A hearing on the judge and venue requests is scheduled for October 15, 2026, while the evidentiary hearing on Kohberger’s post-conviction petition is set for June 17, 2027.



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Bryan Kohberger's family says they support his attempt to challenge conviction - ABC News