Kohberger Prosecutors Reject Bias Claim in Bid to Oust Judge

Prosecutors have pushed back against Bryan Kohberger's attempt to remove the judge overseeing his case, arguing that the judge's remarks during sentencing do not demonstrate the bias required to disqualify him. Kohberger's new legal team contends that Judge Steven Hippler's statements, in which he called the convicted murderer a "faceless coward" and stated he could find nothing "good or intrinsically human" about him, show sufficient bias.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Hippler described Kohberger, 31, as someone who "slithered" into the victims' home and committed a crime that made him "the worst of the worst." The judge also questioned Kohberger's capacity for truthfulness, noting, "How could anyone ever be assured that what he speaks is the truth?" These remarks were made after Kohberger admitted guilt as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

Kohberger's defense team filed a motion on August 27 seeking Hippler's removal, alleging that the judge made biased statements and expedited the case toward trial when the defense was not prepared. However, prosecutors responded that for a judge to be removed, the motion must show that the judge "is biased." They argued that none of Kohberger's allegations, individually or collectively, meet this "extremely high" standard.

In their filing, prosecutors stated that the remarks made during sentencing were not unusual given the context of Kohberger admitting to the murders of four University of Idaho students. They asserted that the perceived bias is not tied to the court's ability to fairly adjudicate post-conviction relief claims, but rather places the court in the best position to do so, as intended by legislative and Idaho Supreme Court rules.

Kohberger pleaded guilty on July 2, 2025, to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary for the stabbing deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in November 2022. On July 23, 2025, he was sentenced by Judge Hippler to four consecutive life terms without parole, plus an additional 10 years, as part of the plea agreement that spared him the death penalty.

The defense's motion to remove the judge is a component of Kohberger's broader effort to withdraw his guilty plea. Kohberger had previously filed a handwritten petition in July, claiming ineffective counsel and asserting that his guilty plea was not entered knowingly or voluntarily due to "unkempt promises" and threats from his legal counsel. The court appointed attorney Greg Rauch to represent Kohberger, and his family has also retained private counsel Jason Goldman.

Judge Hippler has scheduled a virtual hearing on the motion to remove him for October 15. He has given Rauch until November 13, the four-year anniversary of the murders, to file an amended petition on Kohberger's behalf.