An Idaho judge has set a timeline for proceedings after Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty in 2025 to the murders of four University of Idaho students, filed a petition to withdraw his plea. The court will hold a one-day hearing on July 17, 2027, followed by a two-week evidentiary hearing starting June 17, 2027, if the judge grants the request.
Judge outlines procedural steps as prosecutors seek dismissal
Idaho Judge Steven Hippler approved the scheduling of hearings but emphasized they are not guaranteed. In a court order, he specified that if an evidentiary hearing is granted, it will commence at 9:00 a.m. on June 17, 2027. Prosecutors have asked the judge to dismiss Kohberger’s petition, arguing that his claims lack sufficient evidence. Deputy Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Keith Scholl has requested a transcript of Kohberger’s July 2, 2025, plea hearing to rebut the new claims in his petition.
Kohberger’s petition cites ineffective counsel and coerced plea
Kohberger, now 31, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. His sentence includes four consecutive life terms without parole, an additional 10 years, over $300,000 in fines, and the waiver of his right to appeal. In a handwritten petition filed in July 2025, Kohberger alleges his guilty plea was not knowingly or voluntarily entered due to unkept promises by his defense team and threats asserted by legal counsel. He also claims ineffective assistance of counsel and that exculpatory evidence, such as a hair found at the crime scene that did not belong to him, was withheld.
Prosecutors challenge claims as unsupported
Prosecutors have described Kohberger’s petition as “bare, conclusory, and unsupported by admissible evidence.” They argue that his claims contradict his statements during the 2025 plea hearing, where he denied coercion or unkept promises. The state has requested the transcript of that hearing to use Kohberger’s own words against his current petition. The judge has set deadlines in the coming months for both sides to meet procedural requirements before the hearings proceed.
Background: The 2022 murders and Kohberger’s conviction
Kohberger was arrested in December 2022 in connection with the stabbing deaths of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, who were killed in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of November 13, 2022. Investigators linked Kohberger to the crime through vehicle tracking data and DNA evidence, including his DNA found on a knife sheath recovered from the scene. Kohberger’s legal team has now been granted a new attorney as part of his post-conviction relief efforts.