Bryan Kohberger, convicted of the murder of four University of Idaho students, has been granted two days in court next year in his attempt to withdraw his guilty plea. Judge Steven Hippler has scheduled a status conference for June 3, 2027, and an evidentiary hearing two weeks later, as detailed in a recent court order. Prosecutors had requested the petition be dismissed without a hearing.
Kohberger, who initially pleaded guilty in July 2025 to avoid the death penalty, is now challenging his guilty plea. He has argued that his defense team misled him and failed to inform him about crucial evidence, including a hair found at the scene which was not subjected to DNA testing. His handwritten petition claimed coercion to confess falsely. The defense team, including Anne Taylor, Elisa Massoth, and Bicka Barlow, allegedly omitted this evidence, which did not match Kohberger through physical analysis.
The murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin took place in November 2022 in a house off-campus in Moscow, Idaho. Police had discovered Kohberger’s DNA on a knife sheath at the crime scene and tracked his vehicle in the vicinity. Forensic evidence suggested he turned off his phone during the crimes but still traveled to and from the scene.
Despite the plea agreement waiving his right to appeal, Kohberger’s petition for post-conviction relief has the potential to reopen the case or lead to a new trial. This new legal maneuver suggests he might escape his current sentence of four consecutive life terms without parole and an additional ten years.
His new lawyer has not commented on this plea withdrawal. Meanwhile, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador stated his office was ready to ensure justice is served. Kohberger’s situation remains tense; a former expert witness claimed there is undisclosed evidence that harms him, although investigators had not introduced it before the guilty plea.