Bryan Kohberger has been appointed a new publicly funded lawyer as he seeks post-conviction relief and attempts to withdraw his guilty plea over the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students. The development matters because it could extend a case that has already imposed a substantial cost on taxpayers and caused further distress for the victims’ families.

The article reports that the case has cost taxpayers more than $8 million. Kohberger pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbings of four students, and legal commentators say overturning or withdrawing a guilty plea faces a high legal threshold.