Mother of one of the Idaho student murders victims makes surprise appearance at Orlando true-crime convention

Screen capture courtesy Fox Nation/YouTube

The mother of a slain Idaho student made a shock appearance at Orlando true-crime convention

CrimeCon came to Orlando last week and brought a slate of true-crime-adjacent guests and speakers, including one who shocked event attendees: the mother of one of the four victims in the 2022 University of Idaho student murders. 

Following the “Body Bags” podcast host Joseph Scott Morgan’s lecture “The Idaho Murders: An Expert Forensic Analysis,” Stacy Chapin — the mother of victim Ethan Chapin — stood up and addressed the room from the audience, according to the New York Post.

In November of last year, Chapin’s son, Ethan, was staying the night with his girlfriend, Xana Kernodle. In the early morning of Nov. 13, the couple was murdered, as were roommates Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen. Washington State University Ph.D. student Bryan Kohberger was charged with their murders, though his trial is not set to begin until 2024.

CrimeCon was billed as an event "dedicated to all things true crime and mystery, from the latest cases to the latest scientific techniques." CrimeCon founder Kevin Balfe said later that he started the convention for moments like this one: to allow those directly affected by heavy cases to have their stories heard.

“I want all of you to know that these were four of the greatest kids, and all of the great things that you read them are legitimately true,” Chapin said as she took the mic in front of the 3,200 floored audience members.

Chaplin, fighting back tears, addressed the audience briefly, saying she wanted the audience to remember to keep the victims’ stories alive.

“I knew immediately that I needed to keep my mouth shut at this point,” Morgan said later in a Fox Digital News interview. “This woman, more so than anybody at this conference relative to these Idaho cases, she deserved to have a platform.”