Kohberger Defense Claims Victims’ Families Have Received Ample GoFundMe Support

Attorneys representing Bryan Kohberger, the convicted murderer of Idaho students, have petitioned the court to exempt him from paying approximately $27,000 to two families of the four victims. They argue that these families have already received ample financial support through nationwide donations on GoFundMe.

As part of a plea agreement, Kohberger consented to pay over $250,000 in criminal fines and fees, along with an additional $20,000 in civil settlements for each family affected by the loss of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.

His defense team contends that Kohberger should not be responsible for an extra $20,000 to Goncalves’ parents or nearly $7,000 to Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie, intended to cover travel and lodging costs demanded by the prosecution.

“The additional funds requested do not meet the criteria of an economic loss as defined by Idaho Code 19-5304,” stated attorneys Anne Taylor, Elisa Massoth, and Bicka Barlow in their court document. They noted that Steve and Kristi Goncalves, along with Karen Laramie, have received substantial amounts from numerous GoFundMe campaigns that specifically addressed and covered the expenses in question.

Read the court filing:

They later wrote that “Mr. Kohberger has no ability now or in the future to pay restitution because he is serving four consecutive life sentences plus 10 years.”

Across three fundraisers outlined in the court filing, donors gave $73,493 in one campaign for both Goncalves and Mogen, $48,815 so Laramie could attend Kohberger’s case in person, and $85,583 to Steve and Kristi Goncalves and their surviving children for the same purpose.

Kohberger pleaded guilty to the November 2022 murders in July, weeks before he would have gone to trial after denying the charges for more than two years.

The deal spared him the death penalty in exchange for forfeiting his right to appeal or seek a sentence reduction.