{"id":5906,"date":"2026-08-02T19:56:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T19:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/08\/02\/hes-a-narcissist-could-idaho-killer-bryan-kohberger-win-a-new-trial\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T19:56:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T19:56:03","slug":"hes-a-narcissist-could-idaho-killer-bryan-kohberger-win-a-new-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=5906","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He\u2019s a narcissist\u2019: could Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger win a new trial?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"54a1d7c2-038b-4a57-8042-0391c25e4835\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man looking right \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/0b3a9fc340ea479f8d5deaf2d42121a58a9859c5\/0_0_2500_1663\/master\/2500.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"309.318\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to the murders of four students at the University of Idaho in 2022.<\/span> Photograph: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"54a1d7c2-038b-4a57-8042-0391c25e4835\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to the murders of four students at the University of Idaho in 2022.<\/span> Photograph: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">\u2018He\u2019s a narcissist\u2019: could Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger win a new trial?<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1kvrm3n\">\n<p>Convicted killer seeks to withdraw guilty plea and go to trial \u2013 but that could put death penalty sentence back in play<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-1iwzucl\">C<\/span>ould Bryan Kohberger, convicted 13 months ago of the murders of four University of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/idaho\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Idaho<\/a> students, now find himself on death row? That\u2019s one potential outcome of a perplexing petition he filed last week in which he claimed he was misled by his defense attorneys into pleading guilty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A new trial could grant the wishes of family members who hoped to see the 31-year doctoral criminology student convicted by a jury in open court and sentenced to death. Or is Kohberger simply following the example of many mass murderers in attempting to gain control of the narrative and extend the suffering of his victims\u2019 families?<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cI want to make sure that your plea is given voluntarily,\u201d Ada county district judge Steven Hippler had told Kohberger in court last summer. \u201cI want to make sure that you actually committed the crimes to which you\u2019re pleading guilty, because I don\u2019t want you to plead guilty to a crime you didn\u2019t commit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cAre you pleading guilty because you are guilty?\u201d Hippler asked Kohberger at the hearing before twice reading the specific murder charge tied to each of the four victims. \u201cYes,\u201d Kohberger responded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Yet in a ruling on Wednesday, Hippler granted Kohberger\u2019s request for a new court-appointed counsel, days after he filed a handwritten petition seeking to withdraw the guilty plea he had entered in exchange for prosecutors dropping the death penalty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">He now alleges that his attorneys misrepresented death row by fabricating a story about their \u201chorrific experience\u201d touring that portion of the state\u2019s maximum security prison and claimed he was \u201cadvised to lie\u201d and told he would gain a \u201clegal victory\u201d by entering a \u201cfalse plea\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"8c2fdb69-6482-4fbe-9e98-817dbf35e7c4\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"flowers next to a sign \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/fbbbb3f993b5c3e141a6a8cc3c73ee810a9ca85c\/0_0_5584_3836\/master\/5584.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"305.6984240687679\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"8c2fdb69-6482-4fbe-9e98-817dbf35e7c4\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">A memorial for University of Idaho students killed by Kohberger in 2022.<\/span> Photograph: Lindsey Wasson\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Kohberger further claimed that his attorneys had failed to disclose what he said was \u201cexculpatory discovery\u201d, including in a recent book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harpercollinsfocus.com\/harper-select\/books\/broken-plea\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Broken Plea<\/a> that claimed there were chain-of-custody issues relating to the sheath of the 7in knife Kohberger used to kill his victims and was left at the crime scene. He wrote that he \u201cwas convinced that actual guilt was not an important factor\u201d in accepting his plea deal, as he could have faced the death penalty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Kohberger, who is serving four consecutive life terms in segregation at Idaho\u2019s maximum security prison south of Boise, told the New York Times he was breaking his silence because \u201ca lot went wrong in those plea discussions. I really do want that to be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The legal avenue open to Kohberger is not an appeal against his conviction for the murders of Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen in November 2022 \u2013 he waived that right as part of his plea deal \u2013 but a civil petition for post-conviction relief that could result in a new trial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">His move has stunned and horrified the families of his victims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Shanon Gray, an attorney for the family of Goncalves, said Kohberger had become \u201cthe mosquito you just can\u2019t seem to swat\u201d. In a statement, he accused the New York Times of giving Kohberger a platform.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cPeople are forgetting about him,\u201d Gray added to the Guardian. \u201cHe has this opportunity to file this petition with a deadline coming up so it\u2019s not really a big surprise to us. He\u2019s a narcissist who thinks he\u2019s the smartest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahostatesman.com\/news\/local\/crime\/article316671410.html#storylink=cpy\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">The Idaho Statesman<\/a> estimates that Kohberger\u2019s case has cost Idaho taxpayers more than $8m, of which $5.5m covered the expense of the public defense he now rejects. The petition, if it goes forward, could cost a further $2m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Gray acknowledged that the families would have preferred a death penalty trial where the evidence against Kohberger would have been laid out in court. Instead, he said the defendant \u201creceived exactly what he asked for: a deal that spared his life. Know this \u2013 he hates that life. He wants another chance to roll the dice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The extent to which Kohberger may simply be seeking attention should not be underestimated, says Rachel Toles, a clinical and forensic psychologist who specializes in extreme violence and serial homicide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cAttention is currency,\u201d Toles said. From a psychological perspective, Toles suggests, Kohberger may be stuck in the same \u201cobsessive loop that he could outsmart everyone by committing the perfect crime. Now that he\u2019s in jail, he\u2019s probably telling himself he can outsmart people with a new trial and win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Issues of ego, power and control are what often defines mass murderers \u2013 even after they have been caught and prosecuted. By seeking a new trial, says Toles, Kohberger is trying to assert control.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cHe\u2019s no longer letting the prosecution define the ending, he\u2019s no longer letting his attorneys define strategy, and filing a motion restores his agency. In jail you have a lot of time to ruminate. He\u2019s bored and wants to reclaim the narrative. He wants the outcome on his own terms,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cGetting attention and energy from the media and the victims\u2019 families feeds him,\u201d she added. \u201cEven though this may be torturing the families it may also be giving them hope that if the guilty plea is off the table, the death penalty is back on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cHe\u2019s dangling a carrot in front of the families because he knows how desperately some of them wanted him to be put to death and they didn\u2019t get what they wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Kristi Goncalves told Newsweek she was confident that Kohberger\u2019s petition would go \u201cnowhere \u2026 but in the case that a judge were to accept it and give him a new trial, we\u2019re all for it. So either way, we\u2019re like, it is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Idaho law asserts that the petitioner \u201cbears the burden of proving that counsel\u2019s representation fell below an objective standard of reasonableness\u201d. That could pit Kohberger against his trial attorneys, who would be called as witnesses to defend against the allegations of incompetence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cIt\u2019s going to come down to credibility,\u201d Adam Ondo, a Boise-based defense attorney, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahostatesman.com\/news\/local\/crime\/article316703506.html#storylink=cpy\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told the Idaho Statesman<\/a>. \u201cWho are you going to believe? The attorney, or the defendant who is accused of rape or murder or forgery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Idaho attorney general Ra\u00fal Labrador <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Raul_Labrador\/status\/2081816506321768850\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said in a statement<\/a>: \u201cMy office stands ready to do whatever is necessary to ensure justice is fully carried out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Even if Kohberger can prove that leaving his conviction intact would result in a miscarriage of justice and he receives a new trial, the families of his victims may get no closer to understanding why he stole into the house in Moscow and killed four people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In Kohberger\u2019s case, no motive was put forward by prosecutors, and he was not required to offer one as part of his plea. Toles says that may never be forthcoming because there may not have been one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cHe does not possess the true introspection to say why he did it. He could give any answer: I wanted to commit the perfect crime or I was pissed off at pretty blondes. He could give any answer and people will say, \u2018Ah, that\u2019s it!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">But, she cautioned, that what all mass murderers do. \u201cThey will taunt you. Even if they know the answer, they won\u2019t give it away because that\u2019s giving up power and control.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/idaho\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Idaho<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-crime\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US crime<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98He%E2%80%99s%20a%20narcissist%E2%80%99:%20could%20Idaho%20killer%20Bryan%20Kohberger%20win%20a%20new%20trial?&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/02\/bryan-kohberger-idaho-killer-guilty-plea-trial?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Faug%2F02%2Fbryan-kohberger-idaho-killer-guilty-plea-trial&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/aug\/02\/bryan-kohberger-idaho-killer-guilty-plea-trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to the murders of four students at the University of Idaho in 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}