A June date on the calendar, but no hearing yet for Bryan Kohberger’s plea challenge

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho judge has set the timeline for Bryan Kohberger’s attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in the murders of four University of Idaho students, and he is warning attorneys on both sides that he will hold any new evidence in the case to a strict legal standard.

Fourth District Judge Steven Hippler, who sentenced Kohberger to life in prison without parole after Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders last year, set out the guidelines for how the case will proceed in a written order Wednesday morning.

The judge did not grant Kohberger a hearing on his claims that his guilty plea should be withdrawn. Instead, Hippler scheduled in a date for next June in case he determines an evidentiary hearing is warranted.

Kohberger, 31, is serving four consecutive life sentences for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen in a rental home near the Moscow, Idaho, campus in 2022. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.

Kohberger filed a handwritten petition last month asking the court to let him take back his plea, saying his attorneys manipulated him into making the deal by promising him better prison conditions and scaring him about the quality of life on death row.

Kohberger offered only a few details in elaboration, saying they failed to disclose or review evidence that might have helped his case during plea discussions. Kohberger has since been appointed a new attorney, Greg Rauch, who said he couldn’t immediately comment on the case.

In Wednesday’s order, Hippler told prosecutors and Kohberger’s attorney that they must “strictly adhere” to the Idaho Rules of Court Procedure, particularly the sections detailing what evidence is admissible in court. The judge also detailed how both sides should object to evidence that they feel is not admissible.

Anyone who doesn’t comply with the court’s order could be subject to sanctions, Hippler wrote.

Hippler said both sides should disclose any potential witnesses, including experts, by the start of February. He also set a status conference for next June.