Gov. Little signs privacy bill sheilding release of U of I crime scene photos; new video shows Kohberger discussing “Moscow thing”

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — Governor Brad Little has signed Senate Bill 1250 into law, officially blocking the release of crime scene photos of the victims of the 2022 University of Idaho murders and similar future tragedies.

The legislation aims to close a loophole in public records requests that could have allowed sensitive images of the deceased to become public. The bill, which unanimously passed the Idaho House and Senate, was championed by the family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four students killed in the November 2022 attack.

"This change will help protect grieving families from the additional pain of having sensitive photos released that should remain private," wrote Governor Little on Facebook. "I applaud Alivea and the Goncalves family for their incredible advocacy in the face of immense tragedy."

According to the bill’s statement of purpose, the law explicitly prevents images of deceased crime victims from being disclosed through public records requests. The Goncalves family applauded the passage in an interview with NewsNation.

“It was long overdue, not personally for this case, but just for victims of rights in general in Idaho and, you know, other states," Kaylee's sister, Alivea Goncalves, told NewsNation Thursday.

The new law will take effect on July 1, 2026.

Unsettling Kohbergher DMV Footage Surfaces

The signing of the bill coincides with the release of security footage involving confessed killer Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty in June 2025 to the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

The video, captured on November 18, 2022—just five days after the murders—shows Kohberger at a Pullman, Washington, DMV office. He was there to switch his white Hyundai Elantra’s registration from Pennsylvania to Washington plates, after investigators say his car was spotted driving past the victim's King Rd. home multiple times on November 15th.

The nearly 15-minute video, sent to Storyful by the Washington State Department of Licensing, shows Kohberger speaking with a local DMV employee. After telling Kohberger how safe she typically feels in Washington, the employee brings up to the local impact of the killings.

"I really like it though; I like how small, quiet, and I would say safe [it is]," the employee tells Kohberger. "But the whole Moscow thing kind of makes it feel a little less [safe]."

Kohberger remains "stony-faced," offering brief responses as the clerk unknowingly discusses the very crime he had committed just days before.

Kohberger was arrested over a month later, at his parents' home in Pennsylvania. He was later sentenced to life in prison on July 23, 2025, as part of his plea deal to avoid the death penalty.