An Idaho judge has scheduled an evidentiary hearing to consider Bryan Kohberger’s request to withdraw his guilty plea in the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students.
The hearing is set for June 17, 2027, with a status conference scheduled for June 3, according to court filings cited by NewsNation. Judge Steven Hippler, who accepted Kohberger’s plea and oversaw the case, will preside over the proceedings.
Kohberger filed a petition for postconviction relief earlier this year, claiming his plea resulted from coercion, misinformation, false promises and the withholding of evidence he believes could have helped his defense.
The court’s decision to hold a hearing does not mean Kohberger’s claims have been accepted. Testimony and other evidence will be considered before Hippler determines whether the plea was entered involuntarily.
Kohberger pleaded guilty in 2025 to killing Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin shortly before his trial was scheduled to begin. He received four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, along with an additional sentence for burglary.
Under the plea agreement, Kohberger gave up his right to appeal his convictions and sentences directly. A petition for postconviction relief provides a separate legal process through which he can challenge the validity of the plea.
If the judge allows Kohberger to withdraw his plea, his convictions could be vacated and the case would return to the stage it was in before the agreement. Prosecutors could then pursue the charges at trial and seek the death penalty again.
