West
Bryan Kohberger’s restitution hearing ends with no decision, but prosecutor admits slip-up
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson admitted to a major miscalculation in what the University of Idaho victims’ families should be owed in restitution, telling a judge Wednesday that he would no longer be seeking roughly $27,000 in travel expenses that were not outlined in Bryan Kohberger’s plea deal — asking the court to award about a tenth of that in funeral expenses instead.
Kohberger’s lawyers noted that the travel expenses were not part of the plea deal after Thompson mistakenly thought they would be covered by a victims’ compensation fund and agreed that the funeral expenses amount to $3,075.58. However, they argued Kohberger still shouldn’t have to pay.
Judge Steven Hippler grilled attorney Elisa Massoth about the terms of the deal and why Kohberger shouldn’t have to live up to them. He ended the hearing without issuing a decision, which is expected to come later in writing.
The judge also revealed that Kohberger had already received a “five-figure” donation to his jail funds. Massoth claimed that it was mostly for communication purposes, although the cost of sending a message at Kohberger’s former jail is just a few cents at a time.
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO VICTIMS’ FAMILIES ASK JUDGE TO PERMANENTLY BLOCK CRIME SCENE IMAGES
Madison Mogen, top left, smiles on the shoulders of her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, as they pose with Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and two other housemates in Goncalves’ final Instagram post, shared the day before the four students were stabbed to death. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
A plea deal is essentially a contract, Hippler said, and as a result, the prosecution can’t seek restitution for travel expenses outside the terms of the deal.
However, he also rejected claims from the defense that Kohberger has no potential future income. There was the unspecified “five-figure” donation, he said, and Kohberger or a relative could potentially profit off of his story in a movie, book or TV deal.
“There’s no way that BK is ever going to profit from any sort of movie or book because Idaho…specifically precludes that,” Massoth countered.
Hippler said that’s not exactly how the law works. Money earned from such a deal would be earmarked to cover debts to the victims if it existed, he said.
“If there’s no debt for those certain things, does the money not go then to the defendant?” he asked.
“That’s not my reading of the code,” Massoth said.
INSIDE THE HORROR: IDAHO FOUR CRIME SCENE PHOTOS REVEAL BLOODY AFTERMATH OF ATTACK
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing on July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. (Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images)
Kohberger did not appear, although lawyers on both sides attended remotely.
His defense had previously said he shouldn’t have to pay up since the victims’ families received money from donors on GoFundMe.
Prosecutors, however, counter that he has “a history” of receiving “compensation” from his family and unidentified third parties while behind bars — money they say should go toward the victims’ families.
At issue was roughly $27,000 to be split between the parents of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and the mother of Madison Mogen, her 21-year-old best friend, to cover travel and other expenses incurred during Kohberger’s case.
He killed the two young women in an upstairs bedroom at their rental home in Moscow, Idaho, then went downstairs to kill their roommate, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, and her sleeping boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, also 20.
IDAHO POLICE CALL OUT ‘GROSS INACCURACIES’ IN KOHBERGER TV SPECIAL, SPECIAL PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATING LEAKS
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)
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.
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.
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.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“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.
Fox News’ Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
San Francisco, CA
Eastbound I-80 closure in San Francisco snarls traffic, slows business
One of San Francisco’s busiest freeways remained shut down Saturday, creating major traffic delays and dampening business for some local restaurants and shops.
All eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 just before the Bay Bridge are closed as crews work around the clock to rehabilitate the roadway. The 55-hour shutdown, which began on Friday night, is scheduled to last until Monday morning in time for the commute.
The closure has forced drivers onto detour routes, leading to heavy congestion for those trying to reach the East Bay, including Oakland and Berkeley.
The impact is being felt beyond the roadways.
At MoMo’s, a restaurant across from Oracle Park, staff found business noticeably slower.
“A little bit more mellow than usual. We usually see a little bit more foot traffic, a little bit more people on Saturdays,” said Daniel Bermudez, executive chef at MoMo’s.
Bermudez believes the freeway closure may be discouraging visitors from coming into the city this weekend, despite favorable weather.
“The weather is beautiful today. It’s nice and sunny. So we have plenty of tables outside,” he said.
With the San Francisco Giants playing an away game, the restaurant had hoped fans would still gather to watch, but turnout during game time remained light.
“This is kind of like our off-season Saturday. A lot slower than our baseball weekend,” said Casandra Alarcon, general manager at MoMo’s.
Other small businesses in the Mission Bay and South of Market neighborhoods reported similar trends, saying most of their customers are regulars who live nearby rather than visitors.
“A little bit slower for sure. Before, we had tourists come and walk to the baseball park,” said Ajaree Safron, manager at Brickhouse Cafe & Bar.
Caltrans has shut down eastbound lanes between 17th and 4th streets to repave the 71-year-old roadway. The goal is to extend the life of the Bayshore Freeway by another decade.
City and transportation officials said the timing of the closure was intentional, noting fewer major events scheduled in San Francisco this weekend, aside from the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Westbound lanes remain open, and officials said traffic heading into San Francisco from the East Bay has not been significantly affected.
“Getting into the city, it wasn’t too bad. Regular [traffic], what we expect on a Saturday morning,” said visitor Andrea Inouye.
While the closure has posed challenges for businesses, some workers said they are taking it in stride.
“Hopefully, it’s not for too long and we get past it, and get back to our normal routine,” Bermudez said.
Despite early concerns about widespread gridlock, transportation officials said the region has avoided the worst-case scenario. Traffic remains heavy in areas near detours, but the anticipated “carmageddon” has not materialized, in part because many drivers chose to avoid the area or take public transit.
Denver, CO
Dale Kistler Obituary | The Denver Post
Copyright 2026 The Denver Post. All rights reserved. The use of any content on this website for the purpose of training artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, machine learning models, text and data mining, or similar use is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent.
Seattle, WA
WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Warm day, but far below record
Thanks to Carrie Brown for the westward view of our Saturday night sunset. The high today hit 68 at the airport – eight degrees above normal – but nowhere near the record for this date, which was 89 degrees back in 2016. The forecast suggests two more days of partly sunny, almost-70-degree weather, before the chance of rain returns.
-
Culture4 minutes agoFamous Authors’ Less Famous Books
-
Lifestyle10 minutes agoSunday Puzzle: For Mimi
-
Technology22 minutes agoThe future of local TV news has taken a Trumpian turn
-
World28 minutes agoPope Leo says remarks about world being ‘ravaged by a handful of tyrants’ were not aimed at Trump: report
-
Politics34 minutes agoTrump renews bridge, power plant threat against Iran in push for deal, mocks ‘tough guy’ IRGC
-
Health40 minutes agoLoneliness may be silently eroding your memory, new research reveals
-
Sports46 minutes agoESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd
-
Technology52 minutes agoChinese robot breaks human world record in Beijing half-marathon