Overview

• New York’s Son of Sam statute, first enacted in 1977 after David Berkowitz’s murders, was broadened in 2001 to cover virtually all inmate income and extend filing deadlines.
• December 2023 proposals would expand New York’s law to include payments to criminal relatives and require companies to notify the Office of Victim Services for disbursements above $10,000.
• Bryan Kohberger received four life sentences in August 2025 for the 2022 University of Idaho student killings, drawing attention to Idaho’s lack of a profit-barring law.
• At Kohberger’s sentencing, Judge Steven Hippler warned against granting the killer media notoriety or royalties, urging the public and press to deny him the attention he seeks.
• Roughly 40 states have Son of Sam–style statutes with varying scopes, and renewed debate focuses on balancing victim restitution with First Amendment limits after the 1991 Supreme Court ruling.