Bryan Kohberger Hit With Instant Karma After Racking Up Thousands In Fan Donations

On the third anniversary of the University of Idaho slayings, suspect Bryan Kohberger faced a new financial blow behind bars. A judge ruled that the convicted slayer must pay additional restitution to the families of Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, despite Kohberger’s claim that he was unable to provide financial compensation from prison. 

The decision revealed that Kohberger had actually received more than $28,000 in donations while he was awaiting trial, undermining his argument and leaving the victims’ families with a bit of financial reprieve.

Judge Hippler rejected Kohberger’s claim that he can’t pay and revealed the surprising amount of money he received in jail

Image credits: Getty/Pool

The latest ruling came Thursday, when Judge Steven Hippler ordered Kohberger to pay roughly $3,000 to cover the cost of the urns for Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. 

Kohberger, who previously pleaded guilty to the November 2022 slayings of four University of Idaho students, previously argued that he could not contribute any additional money because he was serving life in prison.

Judge Hippler rejected that claim, stating that Kohberger actually amassed a $28,360.96 slush fund while being held at Latah County and Ada County jails. 

Image credits: Idaho Fourth District Court

Much of the money reportedly came from his own family so they could remain in contact with him. 

With this in mind, Judge Hippler noted that the suspect could easily provide additional restitution to the families of his victims, according to the Daily Mail.

“He has received nearly enough through donations to cover the amount of restitution already ordered,” the judge wrote, noting that Kohberger’s financial hardship argument simply didn’t align with the reality of his prison fund. 

Image credits: NateNewsNow

The judge went further, adding, “While these funds may no longer be available to Defendant, it is foreseeable he will continue to receive donations in the future, particularly given that much of the donated amounts came from his family.”

Judge Hippler also emphasized there was no reason Kohberger couldn’t hold a prison job. “Given his limited needs in prison and his youth, it is foreseeable that through employment and donations, Defendant may receive sufficient amounts over his life to at least come close to meeting his financial restitution obligations,” Judge Hippler stated.

The ruling meant Kohberger must now pay Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie, $1,587.79, and Goncalves’s parents, Steve and Kristi Goncalves, $1,420, plus interest of 9.125% per year.

The restitution order piles onto hundreds of thousands in fines, though questions remain about potential future media profits

Image credits: Getty/Pool

This additional $3,000 came on top of the extensive financial penalties Kohberger had already faced. 

He had previously been ordered to pay $251,227.50 in criminal fines and fees to the state, $20,000 in civil judgments for each family, and $28,956.88 to the families of Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin as well as the state’s crime victim compensation fund.

But one surprising detail in the judge’s order raised even more attention. As it turned out, Kohberger could one day profit from media deals.

A judge has ordered Bryan Kohberger to pay additional restitution to the families of Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen. pic.twitter.com/RFXQxxT8kI

— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) November 14, 2025

At a hearing on November 5, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson argued that any future money Kohberger made from books or movies about the case should go to the victims’ families.

Kohberger’s attorney, Elissa Massoth, argued against the idea, stating that there was “no movie or book in the works.”

Massoth also pointed to Idaho’s “Son of Sam”-type law, saying it “specifically precludes” Kohberger from profiting off his crimes.

Image credits: kayleegoncalves

Judge Hippler saw it differently. In his order, he wrote that Idaho law still “leaves open the potential for Defendant to receive money from media contracts in the future,” and that those earnings would not necessarily be accessible to victims through restitution.

The possibility frustrated families already bearing the emotional and financial weight of the tragedy. Still, the judge ruled in their favor regarding the funeral expenses, even though Kohberger avoided paying an additional $24,000 to Goncalves’s and Mogen’s families after the prosecutor admitted to mistakenly adding travel and lodging costs.

Families marked the heartbreaking anniversary while remembering the victims who were taken too soon

Image credits: Monroe County

The ruling arrived three years after the early-morning attack that left four young lives cut short. 

During his slaying spree, Kohberger took the lives of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

Kohberger was ultimately arrested six weeks later at his parents’ home in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania.

Image credits: Getty/Idaho Statesman

Investigators later stated that he was tied to the crime through a brown Ka-Bar knife sheath that was left behind at the scene of the tragedy.

On Thursday, families shared emotional tributes across social media. “There’s nothing quite like having a sister. You are forever loved and missed, Xana Alexia Kernodle,” Xana’s sister, Jazzmin Kernodle, wrote.

The Goncalves family also posted memories and photos of Kaylee and Maddie, best friends who were described as inseparable, like sisters.

Image credits: kayleegoncalves

The Chapin family marked the day with a scholarship auction for the Ethan’s Smile Foundation. Ethan’s mother, Stacy Chapin, wrote, “We made a choice to take the day that changed our lives forever and turn it into one that can positively impact the lives of others.”

Kohberger now remains inside Idaho’s maximum-security prison in Kuna, where he will spend the rest of his life. He has never revealed a motive and had no known prior connection to any of his victims.

Netizens shared their thoughts on Kohberger’s recent restitution on social media

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