Bryan Kohberger declined to speak at the sentencing hearing.
Families of the University of Idaho murder victims directly addressed the admitted killer, Bryan Kohberger, at his sentencing on Wednesday.
One of the surviving roommates also gave an emotional statement, speaking out for the first time.
Judge Steven Hippler acknowledged Kohberger's motive may never be known as he sentenced him to four consecutive life sentences on the four first-degree murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years on the burglary count.
The students -- roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin -- were stabbed to death at the girls' off-campus house on Nov. 13, 2022. On July 2, weeks before the trial was set to start, Kohberger pleaded guilty to all counts. As a part of the plea deal, the death penalty was taken off the table.
Randy Davis, Xana Kernodle’s stepfather, addressed the other victims' families, saying this was likely the last time they’d all be in the same room.
“I love you all and I feel your pain,” he said.
To Bryan Kohberger, he said while shaking, “You’re gonna go to hell … you’re evil ... you took our children … you are gonna suffer, man.”
“Go to hell,” he concluded, as everyone clapped.
Xana Kernodle's aunt, Kim Kernodle, said in court, “This is probably gonna bother everybody, but Bryan, I’m here today to tell you I’ve forgiven you, because I could no longer live with that hate.”
“Any time you want to talk and tell me what happened … I’m here, no judgment,” she said to her niece’s killer.
Xana Kernodle’s dad, Jeff Kernodle, said in court that the thing he misses most is the weekend calls from his daughter.
He said he was staying just a few miles away from the victims’ house on the night of the murders and wishes he would have gone over to their house that night.
“They would’ve had a chance,” he said.
Xana Kernodle’s sister, Jazzmin Kernodle, said in court she was unsure if she'd speak today. "In the end, I realized this moment isn't about you -- it's about justice for Xana, Ethan, Kaylee and Maddie," she said.
She called her sister "a gift to each person she was able to make an impact on."
Xana Kernodle was the younger sister, but Jazzmin Kernodle said she often found herself looking up to her.
"Xana was someone I turned to when I needed direction or advice," she said.
"She truly did live every day to the fullest. Yet her story was cut short by an act of evil," she said. "She won't be the maid of honor at my wedding, the cool aunt to my future children. ... 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, someone she's proud of."
"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," she said.
Kaylee’s mom, Kristi Goncalves, said to Bryan Kohberger that “hell will be waiting.”
“You are nothing. May you continue to live your life in misery. You are officially the property of the state of Idaho, where your fellow inmates are anxiously awaiting your arrival,” she said.
