ADA COUNTY, Idaho (TCN) — A judge has scheduled a status conference and evidentiary hearing in June 2027 for Bryan Kohberger, who requested to withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial.
Last year, 31-year-old Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin, students at the University of Idaho who were found deceased inside their home in November 2022.
Kohberger’s team worked from the time he was charged to get the death penalty off the table for their client, citing his autism diagnosis and raising questions about whether the DNA evidence used to connect him to the crime was legitimate. He pleaded guilty about a month before the trial was set to begin. As part of his plea deal, he waived his right to appeal.
On July 27, Kohberger filed a handwritten petition alleging that his defense manipulated him, did not provide adequate representation, and did not accurately express what life would be like as a death row inmate. In addition, he referred to an unknown hair found in one of the victim’s hands and claimed he pleaded guilty because he felt threatened.
Kohberger gave a statement to The New York Times that read, “My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn.”
The Idaho Statesman reports that Judge Steven Hippler has responded to the request by granting Kohberger an evidentiary hearing for June 17, 2027. A status conference will take place on June 3, 2027.
According to the Statesman, Kohberger requested a new trial as part of post-conviction relief. Such a petition can lead to a similar outcome as an appeal. Kohberger has been assigned a new lawyer, WWLP reports.
If the petition succeeds and Hippler determines Kohberger did not plead guilty voluntarily, Kohberger’s convictions would be overturned and prosecutors could seek the death penalty, WKRN reports.
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