Three upcoming hearings for Bryan Kohberger, the convicted student killer from Idaho, have been unexpectedly canceled. His family’s lawyer mentioned that this is just the beginning of what might be a prolonged legal process.
Kohberger was arrested on December 30, 2022, connected to the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students from six weeks before. In July 2025, he accepted a plea deal to escape the death penalty but later requested to withdraw from it, claiming he had received ineffective counsel and had been misled during the plea process.
“This simply marks the start of a longer post-conviction relief process,” said Jason Goldman, an attorney from New York representing Kohberger’s family.
Judge Steven Hippler is expected to clarify the reasons behind the canceled hearings in a new scheduling order, the first of which was set for Thursday.
The details of this order haven’t been made public yet. Originally, Thursday’s hearing was meant to address a motion filed by Kohberger’s new lawyer, Greg Rauch, who requested the disqualification of Judge Hippler over allegations of potential bias.
In addition to Thursday’s hearing, two others planned for the following year have also been set aside, and it looks like several upcoming deadlines will be adjusted due to this new order.
The tragic student stabbings sent shockwaves across the nation when the four undergraduates were killed during a home invasion at an off-campus residence merely steps away from the university grounds.
The victims included Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Kohberger’s arrest, which took place at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania, came as a surprise nationwide because no suspects had been publicly named for several weeks.
At the time, he was pursuing a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University, which is just ten miles from the University of Idaho.
Kohberger hasn’t provided a motive or explanation for his actions when he pleaded guilty last year. In July, while filing a handwritten motion for post-conviction relief, he maintained his innocence.
This story is still developing.
