Prosecutors Accuse Bryan Kohberger's Team of 'Fishing Expedition' in Plea Withdrawal Bid

Idaho prosecutors have accused Bryan Kohberger's new legal team of attempting a "fishing expedition" and seeking to buy time to uncover new arguments for his bid to withdraw his guilty plea in the murders of four University of Idaho students. Deputy Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Keith Scholl stated that post-conviction proceedings do not allow for such broad discovery requests.

The deadline for Kohberger's amended petition is set for November 13, four years to the day since the students were killed. Kohberger's lawyers have requested more time, arguing that the current deadline would force them to waive claims not yet included in the petition before they have had a chance to review discovery materials.

Legal analysts suggest that post-conviction discovery is intended to help prove legitimate constitutional claims, such as ineffective assistance of counsel, rather than to discover new ones. Prosecutors have also filed a motion to dismiss Kohberger's handwritten petition, though this is not expected to be granted.

Kohberger pleaded guilty on July 2, 2025, to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. This plea spared him the death penalty for the stabbing deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in November 2022. Approximately a year later, Kohberger filed a pro se motion for post-conviction relief, alleging ineffective counsel and that he was misled into pleading guilty by his former defense attorneys.

Judge Steven Hippler has granted Kohberger's new legal team until November 13 to amend the initial handwritten filing. In a separate motion, Kohberger's lawyers have sought to disqualify Judge Hippler from overseeing the case, citing potential bias, and to move the venue back to Latah County, where the crimes occurred. The court had previously moved the venue from Latah County to Ada County due to fair trial concerns.

Both Latah County prosecutors and Kohberger's current lead attorney, Greg Rauch, are based in Moscow, Idaho.