Bryan Kohberger Can NEVER Take Back What He Said
The Idaho Murders | The Case Against Bryan KohbergerShow Notes
Bryan Kohberger can never take back what he said under oath, and that's the problem sitting inside the petition he just filed to undo his own guilty plea. Thirteen months after pleading guilty four times in an Idaho courtroom, Kohberger filed a handwritten petition for post-conviction relief in Ada County District Court, representing himself. He told the New York Times his actual innocence is his truth and dismissed investigators' account of the case as fiction. Before any of it reached a court, he got to a prison phone and called a reporter, and what he said set off a chain of events landing on the families of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, a scenario they'd been promised in writing could never happen. His petition alleges ineffective assistance of counsel, undisclosed evidence, and a distorted picture of what a life sentence and death row would actually mean, with threats and false promises blamed for the original confession. He's also said he'd welcome the death penalty being sought again if this goes to trial. But on the day he pleaded, the judge asked him directly, under oath, whether he was pleading guilty because he was guilty. He said yes. That answer is now the exact thing his own filing has to explain away. The Goncalves family responded within hours, taking the petition apart line by line. There was never a trial, never a cross-examination, and no motive was ever entered on the record. We break down the filing, the phone call, and what happens next. None of it is resolved yet. It's now in a judge's hands in Ada County. Links Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod Disclaimer This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. Hashtags #BryanKohberger #IdahoStudentMurders #HiddenKillers #KayleeGoncalves #MadisonMogen #XanaKernodle #EthanChapin #ActualInnocence #AdaCountyCourt #TrueCrime
More from The Idaho Murders | The Case Against Bryan Kohberger
Bryan Kohberger named his former lawyers in his attempt to undo the guilty plea that spared him the death penalty. He claims Anne Taylor’s team misled him about prison conditions and withheld evidence he believes would have changed his decision. If a hearing eventually happens, those claims could be tested against records of the plea discussions. Kohberger alleges ineffective assistance from Taylor, Elisa Massoth and Bicka Barlow. Lawyers are generally required to protect private client communications. A claim that hinges on what counsel did or said can create a limited exception, but the court would decide what information is relevant and what can be disclosed. It is not a blanket release of years of conversations. At his July 2, 2025 plea hearing, Kohberger told Judge Steven Hippler he was guilty. Prosecutor Bill Thompson summarized DNA evidence involving a knife sheath, records of a Ka-Bar knife purchase, cell-phone connections and a white Hyundai Elantra shown on surveillance. Kohberger’s attorneys would have been able to contest the state’s interpretation at trial. Instead, the plea ended that trial and removed the death penalty under the agreement. Former prosecutor and defense attorney Eric Faddis joins Tony Brueski to explore whether a former attorney might have to explain what happened behind closed doors, what a sworn plea admission proves and what Kohberger risks by challenging the bargain he accepted. The October 14 court order canceled future hearings while the petition and prosecution’s effort to dismiss it remain unresolved. For Kohberger, reopening the case would require more than a new argument about the evidence. Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292 Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1 Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #BryanKohberger #AnneTaylor #HiddenKillers #IdahoStudentMurders #Kohberger #EricFaddis #PostConviction #PleaDeal #IdahoMurders #TrueCrime
Bryan Kohberger wants another chance to challenge the guilty plea that sent him to prison for life. His new lawyer also wants the judge who took that plea off the case. On October 14, 2026, Judge Steven Hippler removed the October 15 recusal hearing from the schedule, along with the June 2027 dates set aside for a status conference and possible hearing on Kohberger's claims. Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to killing Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. He told Hippler he was guilty and later received four consecutive life sentences. The post-conviction petition he filed in 2026 alleges his former attorneys provided ineffective assistance and that the plea was not freely made. Prosecutors dispute his claims and seek dismissal without a hearing. Greg Rauch, the attorney representing him in the challenge, argues Hippler's own words are a problem. At sentencing, the judge sharply condemned Kohberger, and Rauch says those remarks could impair an objective assessment of Kohberger's credibility. He also points to a refused request for more time shortly before the plea. His motion seeks disqualification and a transfer of the proceedings back to Latah County. Hippler's new calendar does not decide the request to remove him. It gives Kohberger until January 13, 2027, to file an amended petition and sets a July 7 deadline for evidence gathering. Further hearing dates are dependent on what happens with the unresolved motions. Tony Brueski and attorney Eric Faddis examine what the cancellation actually changes. If prosecutors succeed in having the petition dismissed, the fight could end without an evidence hearing. If it proceeds, the questions surrounding Kohberger's sworn admission and the judge's impartiality may return to the courtroom, with the victims' families drawn through another round. Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292 Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1 Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #BryanKohberger #JudgeHippler #Kohberger #IdahoFour #EricFaddis #GregRauch #IdahoStudentMurders #PleaWithdrawal #PostConviction #TrueCrime
Kohberger said he was guilty. His DNA was on the knife sheath. His phone pinged the house over twenty times. His alibi has no witness. Now he wants his plea back, his judge wiped the calendar, and the attorney he accused has his sworn answers on tape. Meanwhile, Sandra Birchmore sent six hundred texts the day she died. Farwell's DNA is on the weapon. He walked in wearing a mask and left twenty-nine minutes later. She told eighty people about her baby and the defense says she ended her own life. Eric Faddis covers all of it with Tony across four segments — the vanished hearings, the evidence wall, the Anne Taylor backfire, and whether the Farwell case is open and shut. DNA, surveillance, and forty thousand recovered texts are in front of a jury. Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292 Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1 Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #BryanKohberger #SandraBirchmore #MatthewFarwell #Kohberger #FarwellTrial #HiddenKillers #EricFaddis #IdahoMurders #DNAEvidence #TrueCrime
Kohberger's post-conviction petition accuses Anne Taylor of hiding exculpatory evidence, lying about what death row looks like, and telling him the plea didn't need to be truthful. He named Taylor, Elisa Massoth, and Bicka Barlow. Filing an ineffective assistance claim waived attorney-client privilege — every protected conversation from three years of defense work is now exposed. Taylor's team wrote a sealed memo before the plea warning the judge that Kohberger had difficulty comprehending adverse rulings. Hippler denied the continuance. Kohberger pleaded guilty weeks later. If Taylor testifies at an evidentiary hearing, she walks in with the transcript where Kohberger told the judge he understood the agreement, was satisfied with his attorneys, and was pleading guilty because he is guilty. Eric Faddis, defense attorney and former prosecutor, joins Tony to break down how this accusation could expose Kohberger's defense strategy and whether the families could see something worse than a new trial. Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292 Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1 Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #BryanKohberger #Kohberger #AnneTaylor #HiddenKillers #IdahoMurders #PostConviction #IneffectiveCounsel #PleaDeal #EricFaddis #TrueCrime
Kohberger's alibi was that he was out driving alone that night, looking at the moon and the stars. No corroborating witness. His phone was off during the killing window. Against him: DNA on the knife sheath, over twenty phone pings near the house, surveillance footage, and the Ka-Bar knife bought with a gift card. His car was meticulously cleaned. A roommate saw him inside the home. He took the plea to avoid the death penalty. Vacating it puts death back on the table — prosecutors already filed intent to seek it. Eric Faddis joins Tony to break down what defense Kohberger could actually mount and what a jury does with an alibi contradicted by cell data. Has the fight itself become the point for a man filing handwritten petitions from a maximum-security cell? Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292 Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1 Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #BryanKohberger #Kohberger #HiddenKillers #IdahoMurders #MoscowIdaho #KaBar #DNAEvidence #DeathPenalty #EricFaddis #TrueCrime