Bryan Kohberger didn't understand what he was doing when he pleaded guilty: unsealed memo

FIRST ON FOX: Bryan Kohberger's former attorneys told an Idaho judge before his plea deal that their client struggled to "rationally understand" what was unfolding in court and to make "consequential decisions" concerning his defense, including whether to testify in his own defense or to accept a plea deal, according to newly unsealed court filings.

"In the May 20 [2025] ex parte supplement, counsel advised the Court that Kohberger was having difficulty comprehending adverse rulings and discerning their effect upon the case as a whole," the newly published memo reads.

"Counsel represented that, despite the accumulation of significant rulings concerning the death penalty, suppression issues, and motions in limine, Kohberger was having difficulty meaningfully incorporating those developments into a rational assessment of the case and its potential outcomes." Kohberger, a 31-year-old former criminology Ph.D. student, now has a new attorney, Greg Rauch.

In the memo, which was filed under seal in support of a prior motion to disqualify the judge, Rauch described his goal as not to show that Kohberger was incompetent, but to bolster his argument that the judge may be biased.

"Before June 26, [2025,] the Court knew that counsel was asking for additional time not only to review evidence and continue investigation, but also to investigate Kohberger’s ability to rationally understand and make consequential decisions and to obtain expert assistance in communicating with him about whether to resolve the case short of trial," Rauch wrote to the court in a document that remained sealed for nearly a month.

BRYAN KOHBERGER'S BID TO OUST JUDGE AND UNDO GUILTY PLEA MOVES FORWARD WITH NEW COURT DATE SET Kohberger's original defense team sought more time for an inquiry into his ability to understand the proceedings but "expressly denied" that he was incompetent.

Judge Steven Hippler on Tuesday ordered the Aug.

27 memo to be unsealed after rejecting Kohberger's reasoning for keeping the document withheld from the public.

"The Court disagrees that the information contained in the Supplemental Memorandum is intimate, protected or will result in harm if disclosed," Hippler wrote.

"It simply describes in very general terms trial counsel's concerns about Petitioner's difficulty in comprehending adverse rulings and understanding their effect on the outcome of the case." IDAHO JUDGE GRANTS BRYAN KOHBERGER TWO HEARINGS NEXT YEAR AS ADMITTED KILLER SEEKS TO WITHDRAW GUILTY PLEA FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X Kohberger's former defense team, led by Anne Taylor , had sought more time for discovery as his trial approached last year.

According to the unsealed filing, they were also quietly seeking help for Kohberger to understand the proceedings.