OAN Staff Abril Elfi
5:14 PM – Thursday, July 17, 2025
Idaho Judge Steven Hippler has vacated the gag order in Bryan Kohberger’s case, the lead suspect who pled guilty to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
In a petition this week, the Latah County Prosecuting Attorney informed the court that his office will not oppose a move filed by a consortium of media companies to have the order lifted in light of Kohberger’s guilty plea to all charges.
According to court records, the order was intended to safeguard Kohberger’s right to a fair trial. However, now that he has acknowledged the murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, attorneys argue that the gag order is essentially meaningless.
Hippler further clarified that rescinding the order would not result in the immediate unsealing of court documents; but rather, the materials would be released to the public incrementally, subject to judicial review.
He continued, stating that he would go in reverse chronological order, first starting with documents that he was most familiar with, and moving back in time as he began overseeing the case in September — after a change of venue from a different judge.
Hippler emphasized that while Kohberger’s plea agreement includes a waiver of his right to appeal, this does not preclude the possibility of an appeal under the precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Garza v. Idaho.
“Now, I recognize the plea agreement includes a waiver of the right to appeal,” he said. “But as the parties probably know, the U.S. Supreme Court in Garza versus Idaho has indicated the fact that a defendant waives the right to appeal doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to appeal, and so it may affect the outcome of that appeal, and it may affect the underlying case and the plea agreement.”
Prosecutors had initially requested the order remain in place until after Kohberger’s sentencing is made official next week, but they reversed course “upon further reflection,” according to their latest filing. The defense opposed lifting it early.
“Now that the Defendant has pleaded guilty as charged to all five (5) counts of the Indictment, his right to a fair trial on the issue of guilt is no longer at issue,” Thompson wrote. “Nevertheless, out of respect for the integrity of the judicial process and the privacy of the victims and their families as they consider their rights to provide victim impact statements at sentencing, the prosecution team does not intend to make any public statements about this case until after sentencing has concluded.”
On July 2nd, Kohberger pleaded guilty to one count of burglary and four first-degree murder counts during a guilty plea hearing.
When asked if he was pleading guilty because he is in fact guilty of the crimes, Kohberger simply responded: “Yes.”
Prosecutors stated that they investigated Kohberger’s purchase of a knife from Amazon before he transferred to Washington State University to pursue his degree. They also re-introduced cellphone data evidence that placed Kohberger in the vicinity of the off-campus house, where the victims had lived, at least 23 times from July to November of 2022. The prosecution provided thorough security video of Kohberger’s car on the night of the incident.
The prosecution noted that there is no evidence of a sexual element to the crime.
Following the murders, authorities allege that Kohberger had disturbingly snapped a “selfie” picture of himself giving a “thumbs up” in his Pullman apartment’s bathroom.
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