An Idaho judge has scheduled two court hearings in 2027 for convicted quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger as he pursues post-conviction relief to withdraw his guilty plea in the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students.
Judge Steven Hippler set a status conference for June 3, 2027, followed by an evidentiary hearing on June 17, 2027, in Ada County District Court. The hearings stem from Kohberger’s petition filed in December 2026, which argues he was improperly advised to accept the plea deal and seeks to withdraw his 2025 guilty pleas to four counts of first-degree murder.
Kohberger, 31, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were stabbed to death in an off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022. As part of the plea agreement, he waived his right to appeal and received four consecutive life sentences, avoiding a potential death penalty.
In his petition, Kohberger alleges that his former defense team—including attorneys Anne Taylor, Elisa Massoth, and Bicka Barlow—pressured him into accepting the plea after failing to disclose exculpatory evidence, specifically hair found at the scene that was not tested for DNA. He claims this evidence could have supported his innocence. His current attorney, Gregory Richard Rauch, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Prosecutors had requested that the judge dismiss Kohberger’s petition without a hearing, arguing that his claims lacked merit. However, the judge’s order indicates that the case will proceed to the scheduled hearings next year.
Kohberger’s petition asserts that his plea was based on “false promises and blatant disinformation” and that he maintains his innocence. If successful, withdrawing the plea could allow the case to return to trial, potentially reinstating the possibility of the death penalty.
The developments come ahead of a new three-part Netflix documentary, The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare, which examines the case. The victims’ families have not publicly commented on the latest court proceedings.