Bryan Kohberger's Mother Didn't Want Him to Enter a Not Guilty Plea — Here's Why

In January 2023, Bryan Kohberger was extradited from a jail in Pennsylvania to a facility in Idaho, where he will stand trial for the murders of four University of Idaho students. According to the Idaho Statesman, Kohberger was flown in a Pennsylvania State Police plane that stopped in Champaign, Ill., and Rapid City, S.D. A little over a year later, Kohberger was transported to an Ada County Jail from a jail in Latah County after a judge's ruling reassigned his case, per KPAX.

While the logistics of a case are not nearly as interesting as the more flashy parts, it's important to show how long the road to Kohberger's trial has been. According to FOX13, his trial has been scheduled for July 30, 2025, which is nearly three years after the murders. The process has been frustrating for the victims' families, but sources close to Kohberger's family say his mother is partially to blame for some of the delay. Here's what we know.

An unnamed source claiming to be close to the Kohberger family told the Daily Mail that the defendant's mother is "encouraging her son to plead not guilty, in the face of mountains of evidence." Kohberger was at the Pennsylvania home of his parents, Maryann and Michael Kohberger, when he was arrested in December 2022, reports the New York Post. As far as his childhood goes, witnesses have said that his family was pretty normal and described Maryann as "warm-hearted."

Kohberger is the youngest of three and the couple's only son. Both Maryann and Michael worked for the Pleasant Valley School District. Michael was a maintenance worker from 2006 until 2019, while Maryann was a paraprofessional assisting students with disabilities until 2020. Deja Mann, a former classmate of Kohberger's, was taught by Maryann. "Whenever I was sad or depressed, she was always there right by my side. She would always cheer me up," explained Mann.

As the trial approaches, Kohberger's defense team continues to make requests that will benefit their client. His lawyers have asked the court to limit the use of the word "murder" and want to ban terms like "psychopath, sociopath, and even references to 'bushy eyebrows.'" They have also moved to keep crime scene photos out of the trial due to the "inflammatory" nature of these images.

The defense also refuses to use the phrase "death penalty" and insists on saying the state is "attempting to kill" Kohberger. The prosecution has demanded the state stop doing this. In April 2025, an Idaho judge ruled that if Kohberger is convicted, the death penalty is on the table.

When it comes to the death penalty, Kohberger's mother has previously written about her feelings toward it. In April 2008, she penned a piece for the Pocono Record in which Maryann stated she did not support it because "State-sanctified murder is still just that — murder." She continued, "It would seem that some believe they have the divine power to tell others what to think."