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(BOISE, Idaho) — Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty last year to the University of Idaho murders, is trying to challenge his conviction, according to new court documents.

Kohberger filed a petition on Monday for post-conviction relief with the Ada County District Court. He is currently representing himself, according to the docket.

The family of victim Kaylee Goncalves said in a statement Monday that Kohberger admitted his guilt in his plea and “chose not to leave his fate — or the facts of the case — to a jury.”

“We would have preferred a death-penalty trial; we believe fully in the evidence,” the family said. “Instead, [Kohberger] received exactly what he asked for: a deal that spared his life. Know this — he hates that life. He wants another chance to roll the dice.”

If Kohberger is granted a hearing, the family said that day in court will offer him a “welcome break from solitary confinement: a ride, perhaps different food, photos taken, and the spotlight once again fixed on him and his supposed ‘innocence.'”

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador said in a statement Monday, “My heart goes out to the families of Madison, Kaylee, Xana, and Ethan, who have already endured unimaginable loss and now must face today’s deeply painful news. My office stands ready to do whatever is necessary to ensure justice is fully carried out.”

Kohberger was arrested for the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students — roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin — at the girls’ off-campus house in 2022.

DNA from a knife sheath left at the crime scene was found to be a “statistical match” to Kohberger, authorities said. Kohberger’s phone was also near the victims’ house at least 12 times before the murders, court documents said, with all of those times, except for one, late at night or early in the morning.

In July 2025, weeks before his trial was set to start, Kohberger pleaded guilty to all counts. As part of the plea deal, the death penalty was taken off the table.

Kohberger was given four consecutive life sentences for four first-degree murder counts as well as 10 years for the burglary count. Kohberger — a criminology student at Washington State University at the time of the murders — didn’t address the court at sentencing.

Authorities said last year that the motive remained unknown and they didn’t know which victim was the specific target.

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(NEW YORK) — Former FBI Director James Comey’s attorneys have filed a motion seeking the dismissal of the indictment charging Comey for posting a picture on his Instagram account of seashells spelling out “8647,” which federal prosecutors say constituted a threat against President Donald Trump’s life.

“This indictment targets protected speech at the heart of the First Amendment,” Comey’s attorneys said in their filing, regarding the charges announced in April over the since-deleted Instagram post from May 2025.

“Mr. Comey, an outspoken critic of President Trump, posted a photograph of seashells spelling out ’86 47,’ a well-known political slogan that expresses opposition to the President,” the filing said. “In fact, thousands of items featuring this slogan have been sold on the internet and are available to this day, and the slogan was commonly displayed at protests around the country in the months preceding Mr. Comey’s post.”

The filing, one of a series of anticipated efforts by Comey’s legal team to have his case thrown out before trial, accuses the Justice Department of singling out Comey “to prosecute one of the President’s most prominent critics for publishing another person’s statement of political opposition.”

“That attempt to suppress core political speech contravenes both the statutes at issue and the First Amendment,” Comey’s attorneys wrote.

Comey has vigorously denied his post was ever intended as a threat against Trump and is expected to plead not guilty in an arraignment scheduled for next month in North Carolina.

“Forcing Mr. Comey to stand trial for a statement opposing the President — even if he is ultimately acquitted — would itself be an unconstitutional punishment of free speech,” the filing said. “And it would invite future prosecutions by the Executive Branch against perceived political enemies for their opposition to the President. Government officials have already warned that they plan to target citizens if they ‘copycat’ Mr. Comey’s ‘political statement.'”

In their motion Monday, Comey’s attorneys revealed that after the former FBI director deleted his post, he contacted the local police chief “to notify him about the controversy over the post” and, as ABC News previously reported, agreed to be interviewed by Secret Service agents.

In making their argument that the post falls well short of the high legal bar to constitute a “true threat” as the Supreme Court has defined it, Comey’s lawyers claimed that prosecutors have provided no evidence to support the necessary standard showing Comey himself intended to engage in a violent act.

They also pointed to recent statements made by President Trump that they argue go much farther in potentially inciting violence against his political enemies, including Trump’s claim earlier this year that the lawmakers who posted the video urging service members to disobey unlawful orders amounted to “treason” that was “punishable by death.”

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(SEATTLE) — A 15-year-old is in custody and a second suspect is at large following a shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival that left three people dead and several wounded, officials said.

Authorities were dispatched to the scene at the Seattle Center at about 6 p.m. Sunday and found two people shooting at each other, according to the Seattle Police Department.

A 15-year-old has been detained and booked for investigation for firearms violations and first-degree assault, Mayor Katie Wilson said at a news conference on Monday.

“We believe this teenager opened fire in the crowd, but details are still under investigation,” Wilson said.

She added that no one has been arrested for investigation of homicide.

The other person alleged to be firing shots is unidentified and remains unaccounted for, police said Monday.

At least seven victims were caught in the crossfire, Wilson said.

The victims killed were identified by police as a 19-year-old man, a 44-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman.

Three injured victims — a 2-year-old boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman — were hospitalized, authorities said. The man and woman have since been discharged while the 2-year-old is in satisfactory condition, police said on Monday.

A fourth injured victim, a 40-year-old woman, had minor injuries and declined to be taken to the hospital, according to officials.

Police said they are also investigating a potential fifth wounded victim. A 27-year-old man with a gunshot wound went to a hospital in satisfactory condition and police said they are working to determine if this person was hurt in the shooting.

The shooting erupted during Bite of Seattle, an annual festival with food vendors and live music held at the Seattle Center.

The 15-year-old will appear in court on Monday, Wilson said.

ABC News’ Amanda Morris contributed to this report.

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(SEATTLE) — Three people were killed and four others were injured after shots rang out at the Bite of Seattle food festival at the Seattle Center on Sunday, according to officials.

The Seattle Fire Department said first responders were dispatched to the scene at about 6 p.m.

When officers arrived, two people were shooting at each other, according to the Seattle Police Department.

“Our officers were there within seconds. They performed emergency aid to the wounded until the Seattle Fire Department was on scene,” Acting Chief Tyrone Davis, of the Seattle police, said in a statement. “Simultaneously, officers launched a search for the people responsible for this senseless violence.”

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said a suspect has been taken into custody. Further details on the suspect have not been released. The other person alleged to be firing shots was still unaccounted for, the police said.

First responders attempted lifesaving efforts at the scene for two of the seven people who were shot, but those efforts were unsuccessful, according to fire officials. Both were declared deceased at the scene, officials said.

Another person later died after being transferred to a local hospital, officials said during a press conference. Officials at the University of Washington Medicine’s Harborview Medical Center earlier said that one woman was in surgery and was in critical condition.

The Seattle Police Department said in an update early on Monday that two men, aged 19 and 44, along with woman, 56, were killed.

The other patients — a boy, a 23-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman — are in stable condition, according to the hospital. A 40-year-old woman with minor injuries from the scene declined transport to the hospital, according to fire officials.

The shooting occurred during Bite of Seattle, an annual festival with food vendors and live music held at the Seattle Center.

“What happened at the Seattle Center today was an act of horrific violence,” Wilson, the mayor, said in a statement. “Impacted families are living through the worst moment of their lives, and an entire community is trying to understand how a gathering built around culture, connection, and joy ended in gunfire.”

“No one should have to weigh the risk of being shot before attending an event, gathering with friends, or experiencing their city,” Wilson said.  

Two guns were recovered at the scene, officials said. There were no surveillance cameras in the immediate area of the shooting, law enforcement said. Police are asking the public to come forward with information.

Detectives from the police’s Homicide and Gun Violence Reduction units were investigating the shooting, the department said.

Multiple agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Seattle field office responded to the incident, an agency spokesperson told ABC News.

The FBI is aware of the shooting, an agency spokesperson said.

ABC News’ Amanda Morris contributed to this report.

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(WINDER, Ga.) — A teenage boy accused of carrying out a mass shooting at his Georgia high school pleaded guilty Friday to all 55 counts against him, including murder and aggravated assault.

Colt Gray, 16, agreed to a non-negotiated guilty plea, the judge said, meaning there is no plea deal; the state will present its argument for an appropriate sentence, and the defense will do the same.

The judge said the minimum sentence is life with parole and the maximum is a life sentence without parole.

Gray was 14 years old in September 2024 when he opened fire at Apalachee High School, killing two students and two teachers and injuring several others.

Breanna Schermerhorn, whose son, 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, was killed, said in a victim impact statement Friday, “Mason was so much more than a victim.”
“Mason was kind, compassionate, funny and fiercely protective of others,” she said. “As a child with exceptional needs, he understood what it felt like to struggle and be overlooked by others. Instead of becoming bitter, he became an advocate.”

“He made people that were typically unseen feel seen, accepted and safe,” she said.

“I had no doubt in my mind if Colt had actually attended school as he should have, that Mason would have befriended him,” Breanna Schermerhorn said.

She said Gray “knew that pulling that trigger was wrong, he knew that every choice he made that day would forever alter countless lives.”

One of Mason Schermerhorn’s sisters, Alanna Schermerhorn Wallace, said through tears that she lost the life she knew and her sense of safety on the day her brother was killed. She said she’s always scanning for exits and monitoring the people around her and is triggered by loud noises and unexpected sounds.

Another sister, Lilianah Ahmed, said through tears, “From a very young age, Mason wanted to be a family man. He wanted to have a wife, kids. He wanted to go to school and pursue a career. … All these different parts of himself he didn’t get to explore because of Colt.”

“My brother died alone and scared. [Gray] was the last person to see Mason alive, and he took him from us,” Ahmed said.

She also called her brother “the success story that Colt could have been.”

Shayna Aspinwall, whose husband, Richard Aspinwall, was killed, described him as a beloved dad, teacher and coach.

“Every holiday, birthday, anniversary and ordinary day is a reminder of what has been stolen from us,” she said. “… Now our daughters, who were 5 and 2 at the time, must grow up without their father. They will miss his guidance, his encouragement, his hugs, and all the milestones he should have been here to witness.”

Shayna Aspinwall asked the judge to not sentence Gray to life with the chance for parole, saying the parole hearings would be “continued torture” for her family.

Ismael Angulo, whose brother, 14-year-old Christian Angulo, was killed, also asked the judge to sentence Gray to life without the possibility of parole, as he described “every day as a nightmare.”

“The defendant’s family will still get to see their son, talk to him and know he is breathing. My mother, my father don’t get that privilege,” he said. “… There is no fairness in that reality. Christian was a beautiful, innocent soul who was robbed of his dreams.”

Gray was accused of carrying out the shooting with a rifle his father, Colin Gray, gifted him as a Christmas present, officials said. This March, Colin Gray was convicted of charges including second-degree murder and manslaughter, becoming the first parent in the U.S. convicted of murder due to the alleged acts of their child.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — The House Oversight Committee is set on Thursday to interview Jeffrey Epstein’s former private JPMorgan Chase investment banker, Jes Staley, whose career as a finance executive came crashing down after the convicted sex offender’s death in 2019.

Staley, 69, spent more than thirty years at JPMorgan Chase, including in senior roles in the private banking and investment divisions, where he managed relationships with ultra-wealthy clients, including Epstein.

After Staley left JPMorgan Chase, he became the CEO of the British multinational bank Barclays in 2015.

Staley agreed to a voluntary transcribed interview with the committee after its chairman, Kentucky Republican James Comer, requested his appearance as part of the panel’s wide-ranging inquiry into the federal government’s handling of the criminal investigations of Epstein.

Staley’s interview, like others that have occurred in recent months, will not be recorded.

Following Epstein’s arrest and death in 2019, Staley came under scrutiny in a lawsuit brought by Epstein’s victims, who contended in court filings that JPMorgan Chase and Staley had allegedly ignored red flags that helped enable Epstein to traffic women and girls. JPMorgan Chase settled the case in 2023 for $290 million, without any admission of wrongdoing.

Barclay executives told U.K. financial regulators after Epstein’s death that Staley and Epstein did not have a close relationship and that Staley had cut off contact long before he joined the bank as its CEO. But the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) subsequently determined — based partly on hundreds of emails and records that emerged from the victims’ lawsuit — that Staley had provided misleading information about the extent of the relationship and its timing.

Staley stepped down from Barclays in 2021 and was subsequently banned by the FCA from working in Britain’s financial sector.  

Staley lost his appeal of the regulatory body’s findings. During the appeal proceedings last year, Staley acknowledged that he had what he described as a consensual sexual encounter with one of Epstein’s adult assistants at an apartment building in New York City, owned by Epstein’s brother, where Epstein housed some of his employees.

“We had one encounter,” Staley testified, according to an account in The Guardian. “Much to my embarrassment today.”

Staley has also acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands, though not while Epstein was there. He also claimed to have no specific recollection of a series of emails in which Staley and Epstein refer to women using names of Disney characters.

“That was fun. Say hi to Snow White,” Staley emailed to Epstein in 2010, according to documents made public in the victims’ litigation.

“Which character would you like next,” Epstein asked.

“Beauty and the Beast,” Staley answered.

“Well, one side is available,” Epstein responded, according to the documents.

A lawyer believed to be representing Staley for his interview on Capitol Hill did not respond to a request for comment in advance of Staley’s appearance.

Staley, who has not been charged, has denied all wrongdoing and has said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

An attorney representing Staley in the victims’ civil lawsuit said claims that Staley aided and abetted Epstein were “baseless.”

“The allegations against him are slanderous, and the potential damages are astronomical,” attorney Brendan Sullivan wrote in a 2023 court filing.

Records released by the Justice Department earlier this year in response to the Epstein Files Transparency Act include unproven allegations of wrongdoing by Staley. The allegations, raised by an alleged Epstein victim, were detailed in an 86-page internal prosecution memo from December 2019.

It’s unclear if federal prosecutors pursued those allegations. The Department of Justice has said repeatedly since the disclosure of the Epstein files that there are no credible allegations or evidence that would lead to new federal criminal investigations.

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