Idaho Murder Victim's Mom Breaks Silence, Forgives After Finding Jesus in a Jail Cell

Cara Kernodle faced every mother's worst nightmare on November 13, 2022, when her daughter, Xana, was one of four University of Idaho students slaughtered in an off-campus home. The case immediately garnered national attention as the accused, Bryan Kohberger — a 30-year-old former criminal justice doctoral candidate — initially maintained his innocence; he has since accepted a plea deal admitting guilt to avoid the death penalty. The deal has sparked various reactions among the victims' family members. As for Kernodle, she told CBN News she was initially "shocked." The plea initially left her with hesitation — until she pondered it more deeply. "My initial reaction was a little bit angry, because I just felt like it was just too easy for him to just admit that he did it and not have to give an explanation or answer our questions," she said. "And here we have been planning on going to this trial, and that's not something you look forward to, but I think that all of us were wanting answers." As Kernodle reflected more, though, her position changed. "The Lord is just so good in helping me to understand that it's OK that I don't know everything, and that likely is for my protection," she said. "I may never know all the answers that I want. I may never know, and I know now that that is God's protection, and that, even if I were to know why he did it or all the details, what is it going to change? Is it going to make me feel better?" Kernodle continued, "It's a senseless crime to take my beautiful daughter's life and her friends, and the more information we find out, the more questions we have. There's never gonna be a good enough reason for why it happened. ... So, I believe that if we are supposed to know, we will know." Getting to this place of peace certainly wasn't easy for Kernodle. She revealed how she was in a "bad place" after Xana's murder, struggling with drugs and substances. "And bad went to worse after it happened," Kernodle said. "I wish I could say that that was my 'aha moment,' that that is when I ran towards Christ, but I ran towards drugs and alcohol instead and ended up getting to a place where I knew that I was either going to die living the way that I was or I could draw close to Jesus, and surrender, and change my life — and hopefully be able to show others Christ through this trauma that I've experienced." She eventually found Jesus in a jail cell. Here is her powerful story. Want more news from a Christian Perspective? Choose to support CBN: https://go.cbn.com/ugWBn CBN News. Because Truth Matters™ Download the free CBN News App: http://cbnnews.com/app SUBSCRIBE to the CBN News Channel for more: http://youtube.com/c/CBNnewsonline/?s... SUBSCRIBE to the QuickStart Newsletter by visiting quickstart.news SUBSCRIBE to the Quickstart Podcast. New episodes every morning at 7am: cbn.com/cbnnews/quickstart What's coming up next? Have a look at our program guide: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... CBN features 24-hour TV news from a Christian perspective. The CBN News Channel provides independent news programming to an underserved audience to enlighten, entertain and inspire Christians around the world. Comments below do not necessarily reflect the views of CBN. Share this live feed with your friends and family:    / cbnnewsonline   Like us on Facebook:   / cbnnews   Like us on Twitter:   / cbnnews   Follow us on Instagram:   / cbnnews   Contact News Editors: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... Questions about other CBN programs: Visit WatchCBNNews.com or call (888) 700-7000. Questions about supporting CBN News? Visit JoinCBNNews.com or call (888) 700-7000 for more information. Questions about Helping the Home Front? Call: 800-700-7000 https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... #breakingnews #politicalnews #christiannews #christian #christianity #church #breakingnews #cbnnews