Today, Bryan Kohberger’s legal team is set to present their case before an Idaho judge, arguing against the full restitution amount he was ordered to pay following his guilty plea in a high-profile quadruple murder case. They contend that the funds should be adjusted because the victims’ families received financial support from GoFundMe donations.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at noon Eastern Time.
In response, prosecutors argue that Kohberger has a documented history of receiving financial contributions from his family and unnamed third parties while incarcerated. They assert that these funds should be directed to the families of the victims.
The dispute centers around approximately $27,000 intended for the parents of Kaylee Goncalves, aged 21, and the mother of Madison Mogen, also 21, to help cover travel and other expenses related to the case.
In a poignant Instagram post shared by Goncalves the day before the tragedy, Madison Mogen is seen smiling on her best friend Kaylee’s shoulders, alongside Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and two other housemates. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
The brutal crime took place when Kohberger murdered the two young women in an upstairs bedroom of their rental home in Moscow, Idaho. He then proceeded downstairs, where he killed their roommate, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, and her sleeping boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, also 20.
The sources of Kohberger’s prison funds are not immediately clear, but throughout his case, supporters have claimed to have sent money to his commissary in posts on social media.
Prosecutors filed his jailhouse financial history under seal.
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing on July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. (Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images)
Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor who has been following the case, said some of the money could be coming from female supporters, but large sums could come from media outlets seeking exclusive interviews.
Kohberger has never told his story, and told the judge he would “respectfully decline,” when given the opportunity to speak at his sentencing.
He said it’s not unrealistic to think that someone would offer Kohberger between five and six figures to break his silence.
Exterior view of Idaho State Correctional Complex in Kuna, Idaho, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Notorious killer, Bryan Kohberger is being housed at this facility after being sentenced in the stabbing murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
If Kohberger does eventually speak out, he likely will not be able to profit, Fox News Digital reported previously. Like New York’s 1977 “Son of Sam” law, Idaho has legislation that helps prevent criminals from making money through detailing their offenses.
According to Idaho law, if a criminal signs a deal to profit from telling their crime story — including through a movie, book or magazine article — the profits first go to the state treasurer to be sent to an escrow account. Victims or their families, who must be notified, can claim the money through civil lawsuits within five years.
As part of his plea deal to avoid the death penalty, Kohberger agreed to pay more than $250,000 in criminal fines and fees plus another $20,000 in civil judgments to each victim’s family.
His lawyers argued last month that he shouldn’t have to pay another roughly $20,000 to Goncalves’ parents or nearly $7,000 more to Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie, in travel and accommodation expenses requested by the prosecution.
“The additional funds sought do not qualify as an economic loss under Idaho Code 19-5304 because Steve and Kristi Goncalves and Karen Larmie (sic) received extensive funds through multiple GoFundMe campaigns that specifically asked for and covered the expenses sought,” attorneys Anne Taylor, Elisa Massoth and Bicka Barlow wrote in a court filing.
