Mother of Idaho murders victim Ethan Chapin stuns true crime convention with surprise cameo

EXCLUSIVE: Ethan Chapin’s mother Stacy stunned a packed auditorium when she made an emotional surprise appearance during a forensics expert's talk on the University of Idaho student murders Friday at a true crime conference.

Joseph Scott Morgan, a professor of applied forensics at Jacksonville State University in Alabama and the host of the Body Bags podcast, held a lecture titled "The Idaho Murders: An Expert Forensic Analysis."

Based off of his experience as a forensic investigator and available documents in the case, he spoke for about an hour during one of 12 lectures, panels and presentations streamed exclusively by FOX Nation at CrimeCon 2023 in Orlando, presented by Oxygen True Crime.

The surprise came at the very end.

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"I’m Stacy Chapin, and I’m Ethan’s mom," she said, after waiting in line to take the mic during a question-and-answer period at the end of the presentation.

The crowd of about 3,200 in Florida gasped together, then began to applaud her. She said she didn't sit through the presentation, it was too hard to watch.

"But I do want all of you to know that these were four of the greatest kids," she said "And all of the great things that you read about them [are] legitimately true."

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In brief, emotional remarks, she appeared to wipe tears from her eyes and said she appreciated Morgan for opening with remarks on the four students.

"I can speak on behalf of my own son, who was an incredible human, and we miss them all terribly," she said. "…They were amazing, amazing kids in the prime of their life."

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The moment was unplanned, both Chapin and Morgan told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of CrimeCon 2023 Saturday.

Morgan, who has been following the case for months, was shocked, he said, and his first thought was whether he'd been respectful enough during his speech. Relief came when she acknowledged he'd shown them respect, he said.

"I knew immediately that I needed to keep my mouth shut at this point, because this woman, more so than anybody at this conference relative to these Idaho cases, she deserved to have a platform," Morgan said.

It was also a moment he said he'd never forget.

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"It’s always been a challenge for me to hear people talk about Ethan who don’t know him," Chapin said.
So she wanted to introduce herself to the speaker at the end of his session.

But then she saw the microphone.

"There was something…this overwhelming, I needed to say this story is real and that’s my son," she added.

Ethan Chapin, 20, was one of your University of Idaho students killed in a home invasion stabbing at a house just steps off campus on Nov. 13, 2022. He was visiting his girlfriend, Xana Kernodle, 20 who lived there with a group of other friends including fellow victims Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21.

Chapin lived about 200 yards away, across the band field, at the Sigma Chi fraternity house and was spending the night. Chapin’s family set up Ethan’s Smile, foundation offering student scholarships after the crimes.

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During her own emotional on-stage appearance Sunday, Chapin explained she and her husband set up Ethan's Smile in order to give other students the opportunity they'd tried to provide for their son.

"It was really important for Jim and I to give our kids the opportunity to go to college and fulfill their dreams," she said. "That's the premise of our foundation, to give every kid who has a dream an opportunity to achieve it."

Chapin said she’s planned a fundraising gala for Nov. 13 — exactly one year after the attack. Invitations went out over the weekend.

Ethan, who was studying recreation, sport and tourism management, would be 21 next month. He was a triplet. His parents plan to visit his siblings in Moscow to join them for their first legal drinks.

Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old who was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology 10 miles down the road at Washington State University, is charged with stabbing all four students to death in a 4 a.m. home invasion attack.

Judge John Judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf at his arraignment in May. A trial scheduled for October was postponed after Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial.

He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Fox News' Jasmine Baehr and Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.

Sen. Tim Scott vows to 'complete the wall' at US-Mexico border

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said he would finish what former President Donald Trump started at the U.S.-Mexico border and complete the wall construction if elected in 2024.

Scott made the statement during a Sunday morning appearance on Fox News, telling host Griff Jenkins that Democrats don't understand the border issue. He went on to blast the Biden administration for selling supplies that had been intended for the construction of the wall.

"Washington is out of touch with the rest of the nation. One of the reasons we need change in the nation's capital is that Washington is so consistently broken that the American people don't trust the people in Washington. I understand that," Scott said. 

"As a guy who spends some time in Washington, but a whole lot of time in South Carolina, I can just say to the leaders of this nation today, bless your heart, which is a Southern way of saying you guys just don't get it," he added.

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Scott went on to praise Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his migrant bussing program, which has woken up deep blue cities across the country to the realities of the border crisis.

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"Biden refuses to fix a fixable problem at our southern border," Scott said, adding that it would be fixed "not by selling the construction material to finish the wall – that's what he's doing – but by using the construction material to complete the wall," he said.

While Scott is targeting Biden, he remains locked in a contested Republican presidential primary in which former President Donald Trump is miles ahead of the other candidates. Only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Trump have consistently polled in the double digits in the primary.

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Scott's appearance came more than a week after he opened up about his relationship status on the campaign trail. Scott has never been married and says he is now dating a "lovely Christian girl."

"As a guy who was raised in a single-parent household mired in poverty, I understand that devastation when a family breaks up. I live with the consequences of a father who was not there. I made a commitment to make sure that never happened in my life," Scott highlighted. "I’m so thankful to know a risen savior that has helped guide my way, and I’m so thankful that he’s allowed my life to intersect at the right time with the right person. And I just say, praise the living God."

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