Idaho's Son of Sam Law Is Broken — Kohberger and Lori Vallow Could Profit From Their Crimes
Idaho's Son of Sam Law Is Broken — Kohberger and Lori Vallow Could Profit From Their Crimes  
Podcast: Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
Published On: Sun Feb 01 2026
Description: Under current Idaho law, convicted killers like Bryan Kohberger and Lori Vallow Daybell could potentially profit from book deals, streaming rights, and paid interviews within just five years. A judge in Kohberger's case confirmed it in November 2025, stating the statute "leaves open the potential for Defendant to receive money from media contracts in the future." Idaho's Son of Sam law hasn't been meaningfully updated since 1978—before streaming platforms, podcasts, or digital monetization existed. The Supreme Court gutted most of these laws in 1991, and Idaho never bothered to fix theirs. Until now. State Senator Tammy Nichols introduced legislation this week to modernize the statute, addressing the digital media landscape that didn't exist when the original law was written after David Berkowitz terrorized New York City and publishers lined up to pay him for his story. The bill unanimously advanced out of committee for a public hearing. For the families of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, this represents the bare minimum of accountability after losing their children to alleged violence. But Kohberger isn't the only case exposing Idaho's failures. Lori Vallow Daybell owes over $700,000 in restitution to the families of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan—money she'll never pay. Chad Daybell's self-published doomsday novels may still be generating income somewhere. In this episode, we break down the full history of Son of Sam laws, why the Supreme Court struck them down, how Idaho's current statute fails victims, and what the new legislation actually does. Idaho became America's true crime epicenter by accident. What they do next is a choice.#BryanKohberger #SonOfSamLaw #IdahoMurders #LoriVallowDaybell #KayleeGoncalves #MadisonMogen #XanaKernodle #EthanChapin #TrueCrime #HiddenKillersJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.