Judge Confirmed Kohberger Could Profit From Murder — Now Idaho Is Racing to Stop Him

In November 2025, Judge Steven Hippler said the quiet part out loud: Idaho's current Son of Sam law "leaves open the potential for Defendant to receive money from media contracts in the future." Bryan Kohberger — the man who confessed to stabbing Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin to death — could legally profit from telling his story within five years.

This week, Idaho lawmakers finally moved to fix it. Senator Tammy Nichols introduced legislation to modernize the state's 48-year-old statute, and the bill unanimously advanced out of committee. Representative Elaine Price — whose district includes three of the victims' hometowns — co-sponsored it, saying: "Victims should not feel continually victimized."

The numbers are infuriating. Kohberger owes over $300,000 in fines and fees. Restitution to the families totals about $32,000. While awaiting trial, he received more than $28,000 in donations to his jail account. Meanwhile, the Goncalves and Mogen families were left arguing in court over who should pay for their daughters' urns — a dispute over roughly $3,000.

Idaho's current law was written in 1978. It doesn't mention podcasts. It doesn't mention streaming platforms. It doesn't account for social media monetization or ongoing royalties. The true crime industry generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and Idaho's law is stuck in the era of evening news broadcasts.

The new bill addresses digital monetization, extends escrow periods by court order, and includes First Amendment protections to survive constitutional challenges. It focuses on profit, not speech. But the clock is already ticking. The families of Kaylee, Maddie, Xana, and Ethan deserve better than a legal system playing catch-up.

We break down exactly what's in the bill, what it means for Kohberger, and why this fight is far from over.

#BryanKohberger #IdahoMurders #KayleeGoncalves #MadisonMogen #XanaKernodle #EthanChapin #SonOfSamLaw #MoscowIdaho #UniversityOfIdaho #Justice4Idaho

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.