'A narcissist': Family hit out at Bryan Kohberger for challenging murder conviction

What the report says

BBC World News reports that relatives of Kaylee Goncalves, one of four University of Idaho students killed in 2022, have criticized Bryan Kohberger after he indicated he wants to withdraw the guilty plea that led to his murder convictions. Kohberger was sentenced last year to four consecutive life terms after admitting to the killings, a plea the BBC says was entered to avoid the death penalty.

According to the BBC, Kohberger recently told the New York Times that he now intends to enter a not-guilty plea, arguing that his earlier decision was based on “false promises and blatant disinformation.” The Goncalves family responded by calling him a “narcissist” and said he had previously chosen not to have a jury decide the facts. They also said renewed attention on Kohberger takes focus away from the victims.

Kohberger was convicted in the stabbing deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen at an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November 2022. The students’ deaths drew national attention and unsettled the university town before Kohberger, then a criminology doctoral student at Washington State University, was arrested. The BBC reports that investigators did not establish a known connection between him and the victims, though they presented evidence placing him at the scene.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador said the victims’ families have already suffered an immense loss and now face another painful development. He said his office is prepared to take the steps needed to ensure justice is carried out.