New attorney says court filings could clarify Idaho murder case and plea issues

Jason Goldman, a New York attorney newly added to Bryan Kohberger's defense team, told reporters that forthcoming filings and a potential evidentiary hearing could shed light on lingering uncertainties in the Idaho student murder case. He stressed that the chief concern now is to scrutinize the constitutional aspects of Kohberger's attempt to withdraw his guilty plea, which he alleges was induced by unkept promises and threats from his former counsel.

Judge Steven Hippler has ordered an amended petition to be submitted by November 13, and the defense has also filed motions to disqualify the judge and move the venue back to Moscow, Idaho, where the local prosecutor's office resides. Prosecutors have asked the court to dismiss the petition and have requested a transcript of Kohberger's July 2, 2025, plea hearing. The case stems from the 2022 stabbing deaths of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, for which Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and a burglary charge.