Bryan Kohberger planned an escape route, it was about blaming victims’ friends for the gruesome killings before plea deal in Idaho murders

Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty earlier in July to the brutal November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, initially planned to blame three of the victims' friends as "alternate perpetrators" during his murder trial, according to recently unsealed court documents obtained by People magazine. This revelation surfaced just days before Kohberger struck a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty by accepting life imprisonment without parole.

Defense strategy: Targeting victims' social circle
A court order from Ada County District Court detailed that Kohberger’s defense intended to introduce four "alternate perpetrators" as part of their case. Among those were three individuals who were close friends of the victims—Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—and a fourth, unrelated person.

While their identities were not publicly named, the court described them as socially connected to the victims, having interacted with one or more at social events in the hours before the murders. All lived within walking distance of the crime scene and were familiar with the victims' home from prior gatherings.


One of the alternate suspects had been seen briefly following a victim out of a store about five weeks before the killings but never approached or spoke to her.

Despite these connections, the judge noted there was no compelling evidence that any of these individuals had motive, opportunity beyond shared proximity, or means to commit the crime.

The judge also emphasized that the perpetrator had driven to the crime scene, and none of these individuals drove vehicles matching the description of the suspect’s car. Police had questioned all four individuals, obtained DNA samples from them, and found no matches to DNA collected at the crime scene.

The court order specifically barred Kohberger and his defense team from presenting any of these four as "alternate perpetrators" during the trial. Judge Steven Hippler wrote that while the evidence might suggest opportunity—an opportunity shared by many in the victims' social circles—there was no substantial nor admissible evidence connecting these people to the murders. He described the defense's proffer as wild speculation and irrelevant, highlighting that allowing such a defense would require the jury to engage in rank speculation without a sufficient evidentiary basis.

This ruling effectively gutted Kohberger’s defense strategy to deflect blame onto the victims’ associates. Kohberger ultimately agreed in July to plead guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, avoiding the death penalty and receiving four consecutive life sentences without parole plus 10 additional years for burglary. He also waived his right to appeal.

Kohberger’s actions were described by Judge Hippler as senseless and brutal, and Kohberger himself was called a "faceless coward" for showing no remorse or providing any motive.