How will Bryan Kohberger's plea hearing work? Here's what to expect in Idaho

Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman on Jul 2, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

BOISE, Idaho — The public can expect a crowd outside the Ada County Courthouse, waiting to attend murder suspect Bryan Kohberger’s hastily scheduled plea hearing, several hours before the 30-year-old is expected to appear in court.

But even though his criminal case has garnered national attention for over two years, and a frenzy has continued to surround the University of Idaho killings, Wednesday’s court session should be routine.

Kohberger’s change of plea hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Mountain time, and it’s a standard step after someone accused of a crime has accepted a plea agreement. Kohberger, who was arrested in December 2022, is expected to plead guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of the U of I students following a 2 ½ year-long criminal case that was expected to go to trial next month.

In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors agreed to remove the death penalty as an option, and he would be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.

Hippler on Wednesday will likely set an official date for Kohberger’s sentencing, which could be an all-day hearing that should include testimony from witnesses, family members and arguments from both sides. That hearing will also be Kohberger’s opportunity to provide a statement.

Kohberger was studying criminology at Washington State University, a 15-minute drive across the Washington-Idaho state line from Moscow, where the fatal stabbings took place in an off-campus house.

The victims were seniors Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21; junior Xana Kernodle, 20; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20. The three women lived with two other female roommates who weren’t harmed in the attack. Chapin was Kernodle’s boyfriend and stayed over for the night.

Families of the victims met with prosecutors last week to discuss the possibility of a plea deal, and on Monday afternoon, they received a letter from the prosecution outlining the accepted offer. One of the victim’s family members provided a copy of the letter to the Idaho Statesman, confirming the agreement.

“We were approached by the defense last week asking for an offer,” read the letter, signed by Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson and Ashley Jennings, his senior deputy prosecuting attorney. “We met with the available family members, weighed the right path forward, and made a formal offer as we outlined yesterday. This letter is to advise you that we have received an acceptance of our offer from the defendant.”

In exchange for pleading guilty to five felony counts — four first-degree murder counts and one burglary count — Kohberger will spend his life in prison, with no possibility of parole, and will waive any right to appeal, according to the letter.

He’d be sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison — the maximum — for unlawfully entering the students’ King Road home with the intent to commit murder.

The prosecution also will be able to seek restitution for the victims and their families, according to the letter.

It’s unclear whether the deal offered to Kohberger was a binding plea agreement. If it is, 4th District Judge Steven Hippler would be allowed to reject the deal, allowing Kohberger to rescind his plea and proceed to trial — though that’s unlikely.

A presiding judge must go over a variety of questions with the defendant before accepting a plea to make sure the defendant understands the proceedings and repercussions. Hippler likely will ask Kohberger a series of queries, including whether he’s voluntarily pleading guilty, whether he understands the consequences of accepting the plea deal, and whether he realizes that he’s waiving his constitutional right to a trial by jury.

The process of consecutive questions can typically take several minutes. Kohberger also might be asked to fill out a guilty plea advisory form, which requires him to acknowledge that by entering his plea, he’s waiving his right to remain silent when it comes to explaining certain elements of a crime. He still has the right to refuse any questions that could indicate he committed another crime or that could increase his punishment, according to the advisory form.

Kohberger very likely could be asked by Hippler whether he killed the four students “willfully, unlawfully, deliberately with premeditation and with malice aforethought” by stabbing them to death, referring to the language used by the Latah County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in its 2023 indictment.

If Kohberger admits to the killings and pleads guilty “as expected,” he’ll likely be sentenced in late July, according to the letter. If he doesn’t, the trial will proceed as planned in August.

“We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family,” prosecutors wrote in the letter. “This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family. This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals.”

---------------