Just days after Cara Kernodle shared her moving testimony with CBN News, the mother, whose daughter, Xana, was murdered Nov. 13, 2022, along with three other University of Idaho students, joined affected family members and friends in delivering victim impact statements.
Kernodle opened her moving courtroom message by directly addressing Bryan Kohberger, a 30-year-old former criminal justice doctoral candidate who admitted to the killings.
“My daughter was beautiful both inside and out,” she said during Kohberger’s sentencing hearing. “She had a light so bright it will live on forever in our hearts. She brought joy and laughter to her friends, her family, and anyone in her presence.”
Kernodle continued, “Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now has her in His loving arms in heaven, where she can never be harmed ever again for eternity.”
The grieving mom then went on to share her testimony, noting that she came to know Jesus because of Xana, and believes many others will come to know the Lord as a result of her daughter.
From there, Kernodle offered forgiveness.
“It is Christ who lives in me that has given me the strength to forgive you,” she said. “It was of no power of my own.”
Watch her words:
Kernodle, who told CBN News last week she struggled with addiction and chaos before and after Xana’s death. But after becoming a Christian, she told the court she is now filled with “joy, hope, and peace.”
“Jesus has allowed me to forgive you for murdering my daughter without even being sorry,” she told Kohberger. “I do not fear you or even let you have space in my head anymore. This forgiveness has released me of any and all evil you have inflicted on me and my family. It has allowed me to let our Lord deal with you.”
Ultimately, Kernodle told Kohberger he will one day stand before the Lord, noting heaven and hell are very real places.
“I do pray for you,” she said. “I pray that, before this life is over, that you ask our Lord and Savior in your heart and to forgive you.”
She also shared Scripture from Ephesians 6, Paul’s powerful words about being strong in faith and putting on the armor of God.
We’ll leave you with CBN’s recent interview with Kernodle, during which she described finding Jesus in a jail call after her daughter’s death:
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