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Mother of slain Idaho student speaks for the first time

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(NewsNation)  — For the first time, Cara Northington, the mother of Idaho victim Xana Kernodle, is speaking out about the case.

She told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield on Friday night that police haven’t been helpful and that she needs more answers. In an emotional interview, Northington said “there is so much more that can be done that has not been done.”

Northington says she believes the kids in the house were targeted, as opposed to the house itself. She also revealed that Xana may have had a lock on her bedroom door. Apparently, one weekend before the murder, Xana’s dad, Jeffrey Kernodle, was at the house to replace or fix locks. It’s unclear which locks he worked on.

“I believe wholeheartedly that it was those kids who were targeted. … They did everything together. How could it not be a planned thing?” Northington said.

There’s currently a gap in the timeline regarding where Ethan and Xana were the night before they were murdered. NewsNation has learned that they were at a fraternity party about a five minute walk away from the house.

Northington told “Banfield” she thinks Xana and Ethan may have gone to a bar afterwards.

Northington also confirmed that Xana’s room was on the second floor of the house.

“If you knew Xana, you knew what a light she was was to everybody she came across. She was such a positive influence on everybody around her … I’m not saying this because I’m her mother and biased. It’s just the truth. There’s nothing negative you could say about her. She was just such a good soul … No parent should ever go through this. These kids were good kids,” Northington said.

NewsNation has been covering this story from the beginning, and will continue its investigation in a special hour on Sunday. National correspondent Brian Entin will host “Special Report: Idaho Murder Mystery” on Dec. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on NewsNation. Here’s how you can watch.

Idaho College Killings

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