By admin 
Bryan Kohberger might be headed back to the Ada County Courthouse — 10 months from now.
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Fourth Judicial District Judge Steven Hippler scheduled an evidentiary hearing for June 17, 2027, regarding the 31-year-old’s request for a trial. He also scheduled a status conference just before the hearing: June 3, 2027.
Making his first media statement last month since he entered into a plea deal and was convicted of quadruple murder, Kohberger claimed he’s innocent, and in court filings he blamed his defense team for leading him to make a false confession.
Kohberger admitted as part of the plea agreement to stabbing to death University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin after breaking into their off-campus home on Nov. 13, 2022. He was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole as part of the deal.
He asked to be granted a trial as part of a petition for post-conviction relief — even though that could return the death penalty to the table.
The legal avenue initiates a civil proceeding whereby someone convicted of a crime can sue the state over allegations that their punishment violated the law. It’s also an approach someone takes when questioning the effectiveness of their attorneys — something Kohberger has now done.
In his handwritten affidavit that was filed with the state’s court system, Kohberger alleged that he was “convinced to falsely confess” to the crimes by “coercion, disinformation, false promises and the withholding of exculpatory discovery.”
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He “was convinced that actual guilt was not an important factor” in accepting his plea deal, as he could have faced the death penalty, he wrote. He was “advised to lie” to gain a “legal victory” by entering “a false plea,” he added.
It’s more than likely that Kohberger’s court-appointed attorney will work with the former Washington State graduate student to amend the petition with additional affidavits and evidence. Any amendments to the petition have to be filed by Nov. 13, court records showed.
In a responding motion asking for the petition to be dismissed, Latah County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Keith Scholl argued that Kohberger “is not entitled to post-conviction relief” because he waived “all rights to appeal any and all issues” as part of his plea agreement.
But a petition for post-conviction relief isn’t an appeal. It can, however, offer the defendant (petitioner) a similar pathway to have a guilty plea and sentence set aside.
If Hippler doesn’t dismiss the case on the grounds that Kohberger waived all appeals, Scholl asked the petition to be dropped because Kohberger “failed to raise a genuine issue of material fact” in his filings. He argued in the responding motion that the allegations raised by Kohberger are “bare, conclusory, and unsupported by admissible evidence.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2026 at 10:08 AM with the headline “Kohberger called his murder confession false. Now he’s got a hearing date.”
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