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Bryan Kohberger's own defense expert now wants him on death row
Bryan Kohberger is seeking a new trial, claiming his defense attorneys misled him into pleading guilty.
Bryan Kohberger, who is serving four life sentences without parole for the murders of four University of Idaho students, is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea through a post-conviction petition. If successful, the case could go back to trial and the death penalty could once again be an option.
Defense expert says evidence was missed
Sy Ray, a former Arizona homicide investigator and digital forensics expert hired by Kohberger's defense team, has said investigators missed damning evidence against him. "Bring back the death penalty. I am all for this," Ray told journalist Brian Entin on a podcast.
Ray claimed Kohberger's smartphone data is far more incriminating than what was previously revealed. “I 100% believe that the offender, who is Bryan Kohberger- there's no alternative theory in my head at this point. I 100% believe he's been in the house before,” he said.
He also claimed the data shows repeated "collisions" between Kohberger's phone and victim Madison Mogen's phone, adding, “I believe Maddie was the target.”
However, Ray's recent statements appear to contradict his own expert report from January 2025. In that report, he wrote, "It is my opinion that the geolocation data I have been provided as of the writing this report does not provide any evidence of association between Mr. Kohberger and any of the decedents and/or Mr. Kohberger's or decedent's residence," according to Fox News.
He had also written, “I am unable to locate any period of time between June 23, 2022 and November 13, 2022 where Mr. Kohberger's mobile device is in the same specific area as any of the deceased's mobile devices.”
Kohberger seeks new trial
Kohberger, who is serving four consecutive life sentences, filed a petition last week claiming he had ineffective counsel and was misled into pleading guilty.
He alleged his attorneys fabricated a story about their "horrific experience" touring death row and that he was "advised to lie" and told he would gain a "legal victory" by entering a "false plea."
At his original plea hearing, judge Steven Hippler had asked Kohberger, "Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?" to which Kohberger replied, “Yes”
Kohberger told the New York Times he was speaking out because “a lot went wrong in those plea discussions. I really do want that to be heard.”
What did the victims' families say
Shanon Gray, an attorney for victim Kaylee Goncalves' family, said Kohberger had become "the mosquito you just can't seem to swat," and added, “He's a narcissist who thinks he's the smartest,” according to The Guardian.
Kristi Goncalves told Newsweek she believes the petition would go “nowhere... but in the case that a judge were to accept it and give him a new trial, we're all for it. So either way, we're like, it is what it is.”
