Idaho murder victim Ethan Chapin's family releases tragic statement after skipping Bryan Kohberger's sentencing
Stacy Chapin shared a heartbreaking message for her son as she spoke out for the first time after she chose not to attend Kohberger's sentencing at Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, last week.
'We've given a lot of thought to what we should say since 7/23 and have edited this a million times,' Stacy Chapin wrote in an Instagram post on behalf of her family on Thursday.
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8 The family of Idaho murder victim Ethan Chapin (2nd from right) speaks out following killer Bryan Kohberger's life sentence.
Instagram / @stacychapin
'The entire situation has been a tough pill to swallow but at the end of the day, we believe the outcome is the right one.'
Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole after he pleaded guilty to killing the four college friends in Moscow on Nov. 13, 2022.
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The grieving mom, who shared numerous photos of Chapin with his two siblings, Maisie and Hunter — with whom he was a triplet — and with the family.
'You were only with us for 20 years, but you touched the lives of so many people,' she wrote.
'From the time you were a baby to when we dropped you off at college, you were an absolute joy and the glue that held our family together. We remember your smile, your laugh, how you kept us in check, and the many ways you brought happiness and light to any situation. There will never be another you.'
8 Stacy Chapin and Jim Chapin arrive at the Ada County Courthouse for Bryan Kohberger's plea deal hearing on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Boise, Idaho.
AP
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8 Stacy Chapin shared a heartbreaking message for her son as she spoke out for the first time after she chose not to attend Kohberger's sentencing at Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, last week.
Instagram / @stacychapin
'There would never have been enough time with you. We love you, miss you, and promise to continue honoring your legacy,' she added.
Stacy Chapin thanked investigators, prosecutors, University of Idaho staff, and loved ones for their 'ongoing support' since the 2022 murders and throughout the trial.
The Chapin family did not attend Kohberger's sentencing hearing, unlike the families of the other three victims — Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, — who were present.
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8 Chapin with his girlfriend Xana Kernodle.
Xena Kernodle/Instagram
8 Final photo of the victims Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, center, and Xana Kernodle, 20, right.
Chapin's parents said they had already found 'big-time closure' in their son's death after his killer pleaded guilty to the murders.
'I really don't care what happens to the guy .. He's off the streets. He can't hurt any more kids,' Ethan's father Jim Chapin told 'TODAY' before Kohberger's sentencing.
The couple said the plea agreement sparing Kohberger of the death penalty will save their surviving children from potentially having to testify at trial and relay their brother's traumatizing death.
8 The grieving mom, who shared numerous photos of Chapin with his two siblings, Maisie and Hunter — with whom he was a triplet — and with the family.
Instagram / @stacychapin
'I'm ready for my kids to move on. I'm ready for us to move on. I mean, it's been almost 2½ years, and it's just, it's over,' Jim Chapin said.
The mother of Ethan Chapin's girlfriend, Kernodle, similarly found peace in the plea deal despite the lack of answers, telling Fox News before Kohberger's sentencing that she was 'upset' at first but realized 'God is protecting us from further torment and trauma.'
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While the Chapin family expressed contentment with the outcome, the other victims' families disagreed with the plea deal, arguing it prevented proper justice.
8 Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse during his sentencing hearing, in Boise, Idaho, on July 23, 2025.
KYLE GREEN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock
8 General view of an off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death on Nov. 20, 2022 in Moscow, Idaho.
James Keivom
Kohberger was slammed by the family members of his victims as they delivered blistering victim impact statements to the court during his sentencing hearing.
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Alivea Goncalves labeled her sister's murderer a 'pedophile' and 'sociopath,' criticized his intelligence and arrogance, and ordered him to 'sit up straight' while scolding him for his heinous crimes.
'If you hadn't attacked them in their sleep, in the middle of the night like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your f–king ass,' she confidently told Kohberger while staring him down in court.
Kernodle's mother, Cara Northington, did read a victim impact statement, telling the killer, 'Jesus has allowed me to forgive you for murdering my daughter without you even being sorry or asking for this.'
Kohberger did not speak during the hearing.
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