Just to preface all of this, I genuinely can’t imagine being a friend or family member of one of the victims of convicted killer Bryan Kohberger.
But if I were in their shoes, I honestly don’t think I could’ve done a better job than the sister of 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, one of the four University of Idaho students who were inexplicably and brutally murdered by Kohberger with a Ka-Bar knife in 2022.
(The other victims of that tragedy are Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; and Ethan Chapin, 20.)
Kohberger, who has pleaded guilty to the charges, now faces life in (fairly hellish) prison.
But on Wednesday, he faced the family members of his victims before his sentencing — and that’s where Kernodle’s sister stole the show.
You can watch the viral moment for yourself below, courtesy of NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck:
Xana Kernodle’s sister Jazzmin to Bryan Kohberger: “I believe in a God whose justice is not bound by this courtroom. I find peace knowing that judgment ultimately belongs to Him. For your sake, I hope one day you feel the full weight of what you did. I hope you take… pic.twitter.com/ZU6akR6WRS
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 23, 2025
“I believe in a God whose justice is not bound by this courtroom,” Kernodle’s sister, Jazzmin told Kohberger. “I find peace knowing that judgment ultimately belongs to Him. For your sake, I hope one day you feel the full weight of what you did. I hope you take accountability.
“I hope you truly experience the guilt and you surrender your soul to Jesus Christ because no punishment on this Earth can ever compare to the isolation and pain of eternal separation from God.”
(She’s right.)
Jazzmin continued: “Xana deserved more. They all did. But I come here to say this: I am strong. I am brave. I’m a fighter, just like Xana. And you don’t get to control how I move forward or what I believe. I walk with the comfort of knowing I will see my sister again.
“Xana didn’t get the future she deserved. She won’t be the maid of honor at my wedding. [Or be the] cool aunt to my future children. I’ll never hear her laugh or see her light up a room ever again.
“But I will carry her with me for the rest of my life. I will live in her honor, fight to be the best kind of woman and someone she’s proud of, to make sure the world never forgets who she was. Xana’s story doesn’t end with what was taken from her. It lives through the love she gave, the people she touched, and the legacy her family will protect.
“Her light still shines, and her voice will echo louder than this pain.
“You didn’t take that from us, and you never will.”
It wasn’t just Xana’s sister. Her mother provided a powerful statement to Kohberger, too:
Idaho victim Xana Kernodle’s mother, Cara Northington, tells Bryan Kohberger that “Jesus has allowed me to forgive you for murdering my daughter, without you even being sorry or asking for this.”
More: https://t.co/oPkOm5CU7L pic.twitter.com/J2Yby56HYf
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) July 23, 2025
“Jesus has allowed me to forgive you for murdering my daughter, without you even being sorry or asking for this,” she said.
Xana’s mother added: “Nothing man can do to you can ever compare to the wrath of God.”
Both are powerful testimonies worth hearing yourself, but with some of those diced onions removed, let me break down just how right — and powerful — Xana’s sister and mother were on Wednesday.
First, it simply must be commended that these women aren’t harboring more outward fury.
I’ll just say it: Bryan Kohberger deserves the death penalty. Period.
Romans 13:4 makes it pretty clear that while God doesn’t want individuals murdering people, He fully recognizes a governing authority’s right to exercise capital punishment — and encourages such justice — when it comes to murderers themselves.
Second, I would be remiss not to highlight, double down on, and agree with Kernodle’s mother.
There truly is no Earthly punishment that could ever compare to God’s wrath, and Kohberger would do well to heed that advice.
Lastly, and perhaps the most controversial point, but Xana’s sister was also 100 percent correct to tell Kohberger that it’s not too late to repent and find Jesus.
Just to be clear: Kohberger seems like a remorseless, sadistic animal more than a human, but to suggest that he’s somehow too far gone to find Christ is actually incredibly offensive and an affront to the magnitude of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
Yes, at this point in time, there’s probably better odds of me being cast as the new James Bond than Kohberger repenting, but until the day he dies (which, as mentioned above, is coming far, far too late), that door will always be left open.
One thing that won’t be open? Kohberger’s prison cell, which the judge made clear was more than what the murderer deserves:
Idaho District Judge Steven Hippler on Bryan Kohberger before sentencing him to life in prison: “Truth be told, I am unable to come up with anything redeeming about Mr. Kohberger, because his grotesque acts of evil have buried anything that might have been good or intrinsically… pic.twitter.com/0hc1phc0QY
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 23, 2025
“Nothing suggesting even a recognition or understanding, let alone regret for the pain he has caused, and therefore, I will not attempt to speak about him further, other than to simply sentence him, so that he is forever removed from civilized society,” Idaho District Judge Steven Hippler said.
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