BRYAN KOHBERGER HEADS BACK TO COURT — NEW HEARING SET FOR OCTOBER 15

Bryan Kohberger is heading back to court sooner than expected as his new legal team seeks to remove the judge who sentenced him to four consecutive life terms for the 2022 University of Idaho student killings.

Kohberger, 31, is scheduled to appear in an Oct. 15, 2026, hearing at the Ada County Courthouse in Idaho. His attorneys will argue that Judge Steven Hippler should be disqualified from overseeing Kohberger’s post-conviction proceedings.

The hearing comes as Kohberger attempts to withdraw the guilty plea he entered last year and pursue a new trial.

WHY IS KOHBERGER CHALLENGING HIS GUILTY PLEA?

In July 2026, Kohberger filed a handwritten petition seeking post-conviction relief.

He claims that his guilty plea was not knowingly or voluntarily entered, alleging that his former attorneys made threats and that promises connected to his decision to plead guilty were not kept.

His petition also alleges ineffective assistance of counsel.

Kohberger pleaded guilty on July 2, 2025, to four counts of first-degree murder and one burglary charge in connection with the deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Three weeks later, on July 23, 2025, Judge Hippler sentenced him to four consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 10-year sentence. The plea agreement allowed Kohberger to avoid a possible death sentence.

WHY DOES HE WANT THE JUDGE REMOVED?

Kohberger’s new attorneys argue that Judge Hippler’s previous statements and decisions in the case raise questions about whether he can remain impartial during the post-conviction proceedings.

His attorneys have specifically pointed to comments made by Hippler during sentencing, as well as earlier disputes over the defense team’s preparation and discovery.

The defense is therefore asking for a different judge to oversee the proceedings.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, have challenged Kohberger’s attempt to undo his plea and have pointed to his previous statements in court acknowledging responsibility and confirming that he understood the consequences of pleading guilty.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PLEA IS OVERTURNED?

That remains uncertain.

Kohberger’s request does not automatically give him a new trial. The court must first determine whether his post-conviction claims have sufficient legal grounds to proceed.

An evidentiary hearing has been placed on the calendar for June 2027, but the judge has not yet determined that such a hearing will definitely take place. The August 2026 order established a procedural framework for deciding whether the case should move to that stage.

If Kohberger ultimately succeeds in withdrawing his guilty plea and obtains a new trial, prosecutors could potentially seek the death penalty again, because that sentence was previously removed as part of his plea agreement.

For now, however, nothing about his current sentence has changed.

According to the Idaho Department of Correction, Kohberger remains in custody at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution and is serving four life sentences.

OCTOBER 15 COULD BE AN IMPORTANT NEXT STEP

The Oct. 15 hearing is focused on the defense’s request to disqualify Judge Hippler, rather than being a new murder trial.

The outcome could determine who oversees the next stage of Kohberger’s attempt to challenge his guilty plea.

For the families of the four University of Idaho students, the legal proceedings reopen a case that appeared to have reached its sentencing stage in 2025.

Now, more than a year after Kohberger accepted the plea deal that spared him the possibility of a death sentence, his attorneys are asking the court to revisit the circumstances surrounding that decision.

The next major development is expected in court on October 15, 2026.