A newly unsealed court memorandum reveals that Bryan Kohberger’s former defense attorneys expressed concerns about his ability to rationally understand court proceedings and make consequential decisions before he pleaded guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students in 2025.
On May 20, 2025, Kohberger’s legal team, led by Anne Taylor, informed Idaho Judge Steven Hippler that their client was struggling to comprehend adverse rulings and their implications for his case. The concerns were detailed in a sealed memo filed under court seal, which was ordered unsealed by Judge Hippler on August 27, 2025.
Kohberger, a 31-year-old former criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were killed in a Moscow, Idaho, home. His plea resulted in four consecutive life sentences without parole. Kohberger initially maintained his innocence but later changed his plea, a decision now being challenged by his new attorney, Greg Rauch, who took over the case in 2025.
Court filings indicate that the defense sought additional time and expert assistance to assess Kohberger’s capacity to understand the proceedings and make informed decisions about his defense strategy. The memo states that Kohberger’s lawyers reported he was having difficulty incorporating legal developments into a rational assessment of the case, including potential outcomes such as the death penalty, suppression motions, and other critical rulings.
Rauch, Kohberger’s current attorney, has argued that the unsealed memo does not assert incompetence but instead suggests potential bias by the presiding judge. In a filing, Rauch stated that prior to June 26, 2025, the court was aware that the defense was seeking time not only to review evidence but also to evaluate Kohberger’s ability to make consequential decisions. The defense team explicitly denied that Kohberger was incompetent, emphasizing that the concerns were procedural rather than medical.
Judge Hippler’s decision to unseal the memo follows a motion by Rauch to disqualify the judge, citing concerns about judicial bias. A new court date has been set to further address these issues. Kohberger’s legal team has not yet filed a formal motion to withdraw his guilty plea, but the unsealed documents have introduced new questions about the validity of his original decision.