A judge has approved Bryan Kohberger's request for a new lawyer as he seeks a new trial, despite his previous guilty plea for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students. Kohberger, a former criminology PhD student, pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty for the home invasion killings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

Sy Ray, a former Arizona homicide investigator and digital forensics expert hired by Kohberger's defense before the guilty plea, now contends that investigators missed critical evidence. Ray claims that smartphone data, specifically AT&T-derived latitude-longitude information from Kohberger’s Samsung phone, places Kohberger inside the victims' house with a 25-meter accuracy range. He stated, "If you look at those precise measurements, there’s probably five that land directly on what would be the living room of the house," adding, "Like the latitude-longitude is the physical house itself, and if you put the house back on the map, and you map those, the hits are inside the house."

Ray expressed confidence in Kohberger's conviction and argued that the smartphone data is more incriminating than previously revealed in thousands of pages of unsealed evidence. He also suggested that Madison Mogen was the primary target, citing repeated "collisions" between their phones at locations including a Pullman party and an A&W store near the crime scene.

During an 82-minute podcast episode with journalist Brian Entin, which included Goncalves’ family members, Ray said, "I 100% believe that the offender, who is Bryan Kohberger — there’s no alternative theory in my head at this point."

The case remains under scrutiny as Kohberger seeks a new trial, with the defense expert calling for the death penalty based on the alleged overlooked evidence.

Sources