BOISE, Idaho — The family of Bryan Kohberger, the man who pleaded guilty to killing four University of Idaho students but now claims he’s innocent, says they back his legal effort to withdraw his plea in favor of a trial.

Kohberger’s family, consisting of parents Mary Ann and Michael and older sisters Amanda and Mel, said in a written statement that his decision to seek post-conviction relief has their “full support,” though they have no wish to contribute to the “unimaginable grief” already felt by the victims’ families.

“Rather, it comes from our family’s need to see that the complete and unvarnished truth is told,” the Kohbergers said in their statement. “Like everyone, we seek answers to all the questions that have been raised, which can only be addressed through a proper trial, as opposed to an improper plea.”

ABC News was first to report the family’s sentiments.

“Rather, it comes from our family’s need to see that the complete and unvarnished truth is told,” the Kohbergers said in their statement. “Like everyone, we seek answers to all the questions that have been raised, which can only be addressed through a proper trial, as opposed to an improper plea.” ABC News was first to report the family’s sentiments.

Kohberger’s newly appointed public defender, Moscow-based attorney Greg Rauch, did not respond Thursday to a request for comment from the Idaho Statesman. New York-based civil attorney Jason Goldman, who is working with the Kohberger family, provided the Statesman with the family statement, which was issued on their behalf by Pennsylvania law firm Amori & Associates.

“Many individuals take a plea deal even when they are otherwise innocent or believe the evidence against them is weak,” Goldman told ABC. “Sadly, it becomes less about facts, guilt, or innocence and more about a business decision and being risk-averse.”

The four U of I students who were killed were seniors Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21; and junior Xana Kernodle and freshman Ethan Chapin, both 20. Each was fatally stabbed at an off-campus home on King Road where the three women lived and Chapin stayed over for the night with Kernodle, his girlfriend.

“As a family, we continue to carry the victims, their families, and the entire Moscow community in our hearts and daily prayer,” the Kohbergers said in their statement. “We continue to love and support Bryan and we continue to respect the memory of those lost. We seek to find justice and a conclusive resolution through the legal process.”

Hearing set for next month

No known connections have ever been established between Kohberger and the four victims. A leather knife sheath for a Ka-Bar combat-style knife believed used in the murders was located under the leg of one of the victims, and it was later found to have a single source of male DNA that was traced by authorities directly to Kohberger. At the time, Kohberger was a Ph.D. student of criminal justice and criminology at nearby Washington State University just over the Idaho-Washington border about 9 miles west of Moscow.

At trial, prosecutors also planned to introduce cellphone data and video footage of a white sedan in the King Road neighborhood linking Kohberger to the area around the time of the murders. Kohberger’s cellphone was turned off during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, when investigators said the killings took place, but his phone reconnected to the cell network south of Moscow less than a half-hour later, according to police. He also owned a 2015 white Hyundai Elantra, which FBI analysts said matched the vehicle from the footage.

After a nearly seven-week manhunt, police raided the Kohberger family home in eastern Pennsylvania, where Kohberger was visiting during holiday break, and arrested him in late December 2022. He was flown to Idaho to face the charges and made his first court appearance in Latah County in early January 2023.

“My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn,” Kohberger said in a written statement to The New York Times in July. “Thank you for all who believe in my innocence and continue to critically analyze the case.

“I send my love to my family, who have never wavered in their belief in who I am, their belief in my innocence.”

An interview request sent to Kohberger at the maximum security prison south of Boise did not receive a response Thursday. He has now been incarcerated there for about 14 months.

As part of his request for a trial through post-conviction relief, Kohberger seeks to disqualify Judge Steven Hippler of Idaho’s 4th Judicial District, who oversaw his case once it was moved out of Moscow down to Boise. Hippler has scheduled a hearing on the issue for Oct. 15 at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise.

Hippler also has reserved dates next year for Kohberger’s push for a trial, if he decides to grant the hearings. A status conference was placed on the court calendar for June 3, 2027, followed by an evidentiary hearing on June 17, 2027.

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Reporter Alex Brizee contributed to this report.

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