TRUE CRIME NEWSBryan Kohberger's Lawyers Insist Killer Shouldn't Have to Pay Restitution in New Hearing
Attorneys for Bryan Kohberger appeared in court on Wednesday, November 5 to argue that he shouldn't have to pay any extra expenses to the families.
Nov. 5 2025, Updated 1:55 p.m. ET
Attorneys for Bryan Kohberger appeared in court again on Wednesday, November 5, to fight the requirement that their client pay an extra $27K in restitution to the families of his victims.
The convicted quadruple murderer's lawyers are arguing he shouldn't have to fork over the money because the victims' relatives collected money to help with travel expenses through donations via GoFundMe campaigns.
Kohberger's laywer Elisa Massoth also claimed he doesn't have the funds to pay up.
What Is Bryan Kohberger Being Asked to Pay?
Bryan Kohberger's lawyers said their client shouldn't have to pay $27K in restitution.
The $27K is in addition to money he agreed to pay as a part of the plea deal he took in July.
Kohberger, 30, is required to pay $250K in criminal fines, plus $80K divided between families of the four University of Idaho students he brutally slayed: Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The $27K includes $20K for Goncalves' family and $7K for Mogen's mom — reimbursement for their travel expenses.
Inside His Plea Deal
Bryan Kohberger murdered four University of Idaho students on November 13, 2022.
Kohberger, a former PhD student of criminology at Washington State University, accepted a guilty plea deal on July 2 to avoid the death penalty and confessed to fatally stabbing the students in their off-campus house on November 13, 2022.
The killer was subsequently sentenced on July 23 and moved from county jail to Idaho Maximum Security Institution. Kohberger is serving four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Bryan Kohberger Has Been Receiving Money in Jail
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Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
This latest hearing comes after it was revealed that Kohberger has been receiving money in prison.
NewsNation’s Banfield reported on Wednesday, October 29, that the convicted killer has been getting financial help since before his July sentencing. There is allegedly a list of "third party supporters" who have sent Kohberger funds that remain sealed from the public.
Bryan Kohberger was a PhD student of criminology at Washington State University.
Despite the financial help, Kohberger has been struggling to adjust to life in state prison, where he only gets a single hour of outdoor recreation per day. The rest of Kohberger's days are spent inside his cell.
It's been reported that he resides in what's known as the "J Block," a long-term restrictive housing unit holding roughly 30 inmates.
He has complained about the prison's food as well as harassment from other inmates.
Kohberger, who was arrested in December 2022, filed complaints stating he's been subject to "minute-by-minute verbal threats/harassment" from fellow inmates and requested to be moved.
