BRYAN KOHBERGER HEADING BACK TO COURT AS DEFENSE SEEKS TO REMOVE JUDGE AND UNDO GUILTY PLEA

Bryan Kohberger is set to return to an Idaho courtroom on October 15 as his new defense team challenges the judge overseeing his attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in the University of Idaho student murders case.

Kohberger, 31, is currently serving four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty in July 2025 to killing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

His guilty plea was part of an agreement that spared him the death penalty.

Now, Kohberger is attempting to reopen the case through a post-conviction petition, claiming that his plea was not entered knowingly or voluntarily and that he received ineffective assistance from his previous attorneys.

Defense wants Judge Steven Hippler removed

The October 15 hearing will focus on a motion seeking to disqualify Judge Steven Hippler, who presided over Kohberger’s case and sentenced him in July 2025.

Kohberger’s new attorneys argue that comments Hippler made during sentencing raise questions about whether he can remain impartial while overseeing the post-conviction proceedings.

The defense has also pointed to earlier disputes involving discovery and the handling of the case as part of its argument for replacing the judge.

The hearing is scheduled for October 15 at 1:30 p.m. Mountain Time and is expected to take place remotely through WebEx.

Kohberger wants to withdraw his guilty plea

In a handwritten petition filed in July, Kohberger alleged that his decision to plead guilty was influenced by ineffective legal representation, coercion and alleged promises that were not kept.

He has also claimed that his attorneys failed to provide him with information about potentially exculpatory evidence before he accepted the plea agreement.

One issue raised in his filings involves hairs reportedly recovered from Ethan Chapin’s hand. Kohberger alleges that his attorneys failed to properly inform him about evidence that could have affected his decision to plead guilty. The circumstances surrounding what prosecutors knew and what was disclosed to the defense remain matters for the legal proceedings.

His new attorneys are expected to file an amended post-conviction petition later this year, with the case scheduled for additional proceedings in 2027.

A plea deal that removed the death penalty

Kohberger pleaded guilty on July 2, 2025, to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.

Three weeks later, on July 23, Judge Hippler sentenced him to four consecutive life sentences without parole, along with an additional 10-year sentence for burglary.

The agreement meant prosecutors would not pursue the death penalty.

As part of the plea agreement, Kohberger also waived his right to a direct appeal. His current legal challenge therefore proceeds through the separate post-conviction relief process.

Could the death penalty return?

If Kohberger ultimately succeeds in having his guilty plea withdrawn and the case proceeds to a new trial, the sentencing consequences could change because the original plea agreement that removed the death penalty would no longer necessarily control the case.

However, the October 15 hearing itself will not determine whether Kohberger receives a new trial or a death sentence. The immediate issue is whether Judge Hippler should be removed from overseeing the post-conviction proceedings.

For now, Kohberger remains convicted and is serving four consecutive life sentences without parole. His allegations about his former attorneys and his guilty plea have not been established as facts, and the court has yet to rule on his request to undo the plea.

The October hearing could therefore become an important early step in a legal battle that Kohberger hopes will eventually allow him to withdraw the plea that ended the highly publicized Idaho murder case.