Gag order lifted in Kohberger case

The judge overseeing the murder case of Bryan Kohberger has lifted a gag order that kept many details of the case secret.

“At this point, I just don’t think that I can justify the continuation of the nondissemination order,” Fourth District Judge Steven Hippler said during a Thursday hearing. “I think the rights of the public to information in this case is paramount given the fact that a plea has been entered in this case.”

Now that Kohberger has pleaded guilty to the killings of four University of Idaho students in 2022, the judge determined there was no reason to keep the gag order in place since there’s no worries about Kohberger receiving a fair trial, according to the Associated Press.

Kohberger will be sentenced Wednesday in Boise for four counts of first-degree murder.

Kohberger’s guilty plea to the November 2022 off-campus killings took the prosecution’s pursuit of the death penalty off the table. The plea agreement calls for Kohberger to serve four consecutive life sentences for each count of murder. Kohberger cannot appeal the sentence, under the agreement.

News organizations asked the court to lift the gag order that prohibited people involved in the case from discussing it.

Kohberger’s attorney, Anne Taylor, asked to maintain the order issued in 2023 until sentencing to protect her client’s right to a fair sentencing, according to court documents she filed Tuesday. Taylor also cited the ongoing publicity of the case and threats to Kohberger’s safety as reasons to keep the order in place.

“Lifting the Revised Order now, this close to the sentencing would only increase the media frenzy and publicity around the case,” Taylor wrote.

Although the order is lifted, Hippler said law enforcement and attorneys involved in the case are not required to speak to media. He said documents previously sealed by the court are still sealed, saying it was “premature” to release them at this point.

“Before everybody gets out there, pen and paper, and sends in public records requests, understand those will be denied for sealed records until they are unsealed,” he said.

Hippler said he intends to review the sealed material in the weeks and months after Wednesday’s sentencing and determine what documents should be unsealed.