A forensic expert who previously worked with Bryan Kohberger's defence team has said the convicted killer deserves both a new trial and the death penalty, arguing that investigators overlooked important evidence in the case. The comments follow a judge's approval of Kohberger's request for a new lawyer as he attempts to overturn his guilty plea for murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, despite legal analysts noting the high bar required to reverse an admitted guilty plea.

Kohberger pleaded guilty to killing the four students in November 2022, but has since sought to challenge that plea with the help of a newly approved defence attorney. The expert's intervention adds a notable voice to the ongoing legal proceedings, criticising the original investigation while simultaneously calling for the harshest possible sentence, and the victims' families have said the renewed legal wrangling forces them to relive the tragedy.