The mother of one of the victims of the University of Idaho murder, Ethan Chapin, shocked the true crime convention with an unexpected and touching speech about her son and three other slain students.
Stacy Chapin took to the microphone during a Q&A session to introduce herself to a packed auditorium following a forensic expert’s talk about the University of Idaho student’s slaying Friday in Orlando during CrimeCon 2023, according to Fox News Digital.
“I’m Stacy Chapin, and I’m Ethan’s mom,” she said, receiving a standing ovation followed by a standing ovation from the stunned crowd of about 3,200 true crime junkies.
“I want you all to know that they are four of the most amazing kids, and all the great things you read about them [are] legally correct.”
Jacksonville State University in Alabama applied forensics professor and host of the “Body Bag” podcast, Joseph Scott Morgan, finished his hour-long lecture titled “Idaho Homicide: An Expert Forensic Analysis” before turning to the crowd for questions.
Chapin was met with loud and emotional applause when she introduced herself as Ethan’s mother. FOX Nation
Mom said she couldn’t make it to the hour-long lecture but came back for the Q&A. FOX Nation
Chapin revealed he did not participate in the presentation because the breakdown of the murder was “too difficult to watch,” but expressed tearful gratitude to Morgan for his respectful and insightful speech about the November 2022 murder.
“It’s always a challenge for me to hear people talk about Ethan who don’t know him,” Chapin said.
Her son, Ethan, 20, was killed along with his girlfriend Xana Kernodle, 20, his roommate Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and best friend Madison Mogen, 21, at an off-campus home not far from the University of Idaho on November 13, 2022.
Chapin said he had not planned to speak at the convention but felt compelled to after the lecture. Instagram/Stacy Chapin
“I can speak for my own son, who was an amazing human being, and we miss them all so much,” Chapin said.
The mother revealed she was “not a real follower of crime” but had been “pushed into the epicenter” of a “very unusual” community.
As he made his final remarks during a brief but moving speech, Chapin asked that the four slain students not be forgotten.
Four University of Idaho victims Kaylee Goncalves (top left), Xana Kernodle (top right), Chapin (bottom left) and, Madison Mogen. ZUMAPRESS.com
“They are amazing, amazing kids at the beginning of their lives,” a choked Chapin said to another round of applause in the auditorium.
The unplanned moment was so moving that Morgan “knew” he had to let Chapin speak.
“I knew right away that I had to keep my mouth shut at this point,” Morgan told Fox News Digital.
“This woman, more than anyone at this conference compared to these Idaho cases, she deserves a platform.”
Ethan had spent the night with his girlfriend, Kernodle, when they were killed during a home invasion.ZUMAPRESS.com
Chapin didn’t initially plan to speak, but when the microphone opened for questions, he felt compelled to drive the seriousness of Morgan’s respectful performance so that it stayed with those in attendance.
“There’s something…this is so overwhelming, I have to say this story is true and it’s my son,” the mother told the outlet after her speech.
CrimeCon founder Kevin Balfe said he created the convention to allow “media users to engage directly with those affected by the cases they follow.”
The last picture of the victim was taken a few hours before he was killed.
“This is a great moment at our event, and we’re proud to have created a forum where these kinds of important conversations can happen,” Balfe told Fox News Digital.
Her son was spending the night with his girlfriend when they were both brutally murdered along with housemates Kernodle and friends Gonclaves and Mogen after a night out in Moscow, Idaho.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, has been charged with four counts of murder in connection with the death.
Bryan Christopher Kohberger is seen in a booking photo after his arrest on December 30, 2022 in Pennsylvania. Getty Images
Kohberger is a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University, a short drive from the scene of the murder across the state line.
The accused killer was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania on December 30, 2022.
Prosecutors arrested him after finding his DNA on the button of a knife sheath found under Mogen’s body.
Kohberger pleaded not guilty during his trial in June, and his trial was scheduled for October but was delayed until at least 2024 after he waived his right to a speedy trial.
He could face the death penalty if found guilty of the gruesome murder.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
