ADA COUNTY, Idaho (TCN) — According to newly unsealed court documents, lawyers for convicted quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger raised concerns about his ability to understand proceedings and make decisions shortly before his plea deal.
According to a newly unsealed document obtained by People, Kohberger’s defense “advised the Court that [he]was having difficulty comprehending adverse rulings and discerning their effects upon the case as a whole.”
Kohberger retained a new attorney, Greg Rausch, to represent him during his bid for post-conviction relief. This bid comes on the heels of Kohberger’s filing of a handwritten petition in July, alleging that he had been manipulated by his defense team, threatened into pleading guilty, and misled about the living conditions on Idaho’s death row.
Ada County Judge Steven Hippler granted Kohberger a hearing, scheduled for Oct. 15, where Kohberger’s new team will have the opportunity to argue that Hippler be removed as judge.
The motion raising concerns regarding Kohberger’s alleged inability to comprehend proceedings was filed by Rausch as a supplement to the motion filed requesting Hippler be removed as judge, according to People.
Rausch said that the six days between Hippler’s denial of Kohberger’s team’s request for more time to prepare for a trial and Kohberger’s plea will be the focus of the post-conviction relief proceedings, People reports. They will try to determine “whether trial counsel has sufficient time and assistance to ensure that Kohberger rationally understood the circumstances,” according to Rausch.
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