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Bryan Kohberger’s restitution hearing ends with no decision, but prosecutor admits slip-up

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Bryan Kohberger’s restitution hearing ends with no decision, but prosecutor admits slip-up

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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Arizona

New tractors help University of Arizona modernize farming in Yuma

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New tractors help University of Arizona modernize farming in Yuma


The University of Arizona’s Yuma Agricultural Center is upgrading the equipment used on nearly 500 acres of research farmland. Two new tractors will replace aging machines from the 1990s that had become costly to maintain and prone to breakdowns. Center leaders say the $400,000 investment will help with land preparation, field management and future precision tools like GPS and laser leveling. The upgrades are expected to support research focused on water conservation, crop production and the future of Arizona farming. Researchers say the tractors may look basic, but they are critical to modern agriculture in one of the state’s most important farming regions.



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California

2 Northern California universities made U.S. News ‘Best Global’ list

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2 Northern California universities made U.S. News ‘Best Global’ list


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To the surprise of perhaps no Californians, several California universities appeared in the top rankings of the world’s best universities in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings released on June 16.

Of the more than 2,250 worldwide research institutions that U.S. News & World Report evaluated for this list, six California universities ranked in the top 50 globally, with an even split among Northern and Southern California institutions.

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The 2026 list includes universities from more than 100 countries, with the following countries receiving the most schools in the overall rankings:

  • China: 409
  • United States: 275
  • India: 123
  • United Kingdom: 93
  • Japan: 86

Did your California alma mater appear among the top global universities?

U.S. News and World Report methodology

When determining a university’s placement on the list, U.S. News & World Report considered factors more relevant to research-oriented institutions than to undergraduate-focused metrics like bachelor’s degree graduation rates.

It focused on aspects like academic institutions’ research and reputation, number of publications, the quality of publications and citations. It considers other factors, including location, campus culture, the strength of particular programs, and cost, which are also very important.

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“For students seeking universities with strong academic excellence and global recognition, the Best Global Universities rankings offer an essential comparative resource,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News.

“Our methodology focuses on a school’s research mission and scholarly impact, helping students identify institutions that are truly at the forefront of global knowledge creation.”

Out of the top 10 global universities, two California institutions made the list:

  1. Harvard University
  2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  3. Stanford University
  4. University of Oxford
  5. University of Cambridge
  6. Tsinghua University
  7. University of California Berkeley
  8. Yale University
  9. University College London
  10. Columbia University

How did California colleges rank in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Global Universities 2026 list?

Outside of the top 10 universities, California saw a handful of other institutions rank highly on U.S. News & World Report list.

Notably, the University of California – Los Angeles just missed the top 10 list, ultimately ranking as the 11th-best global university and the second-best public institution on the list. It was beaten out as the best public institution by its academic counterpart, the University of California, Berkeley, which was ranked the 7th-best global university.

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Additionally, a number of University of California schools made the top of the list, ultimately reaffirming the quality of the institutions’ public campuses across the state.

“Research from the University of California is vital to work that benefits all Americans, from breakthroughs in the treatment of Parkinson’s to the science behind previously unimagined successes in fighting cancer and the development of quantum computers that will enable the critical advances of the 21st century,” the University of California said in a press release about its rankings.

Here’s the list of California universities that made the top 100 list:

  • 3. Stanford University
  • 7. University of California Berkeley
  • 11. University of California – Los Angeles
  • 22. University of California – San Francisco
  • 23. (Tied) California Institute of Technology
  • 23. (Tied) University of California – San Diego
  • 74. University of Southern California
  • 95. University of California – Davis
  • 99. University of California – Irvine
  • 100. University of California – Santa Barbara

Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at npadilla@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.socialSign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.



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Colorado

Pikes Peak or Bust Parade canceled by organizers

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Pikes Peak or Bust Parade canceled by organizers


(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Organizers for the Pikes Peak or Bust Parade announced on Friday, June 19, that due to a lack of resources, the parade has been canceled.

Originally scheduled for July 11 in Downtown Colorado Springs, parade organizers said they could not secure the resources needed to produce the event at the level the community deserves.

“We know many of you were looking forward to the parade, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who offered their time, support, sponsorship, and enthusiasm,” said organizers.

While the parade will no longer be taking place on July 11, organizers said the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo will return on July 14 through July 18, and tickets remain on sale.

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Organizers hope to see the Colorado Springs community at the rodeo, and they remain hopeful that the beloved tradition can return in the future.



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