Bryan Kohberger sentencing: Idaho college student killer sentenced to life in prison

Thompson said a trial could have resulted in years or decades of appeals, in part because of the huge number of motions that were filed in the case.

The defense team made "dozens" of attempts to dismiss the case.

Among those efforts, Thompson noted that the defense unsuccessfully suggested that other people were somehow responsible for the crimes.

He said he respected each family's "candid" reactions to the plea deal.

Randy Davis, Xana Kernodle's stepfather, addressed the other victims' families, saying this was likely the last time they'd all be in the same room.

"I love you all and I feel your pain," he said.

Davis said Kohberger had also ruined the lives of the Kohberger family.

"He has contaminated, tainted their family name, and pretty much made a horrible miserable thing to ever be related to him," he said.

Then he turned to Kohberger.

"I don't know what my limits are here. I am struggling man," Davis said. He said he wished he had five minutes with Kohberger in the woods to teach him about loss and pain. "I'm shaking because I want to reach out to you but I hope you feel my energy," he said, banging on his chest.

To Bryan Kohberger, he said while shaking, "You're gonna go to hell ... you're evil ... you took our children ... you are gonna suffer, man."

"Go to hell," he concluded, as everyone clapped.

Xana Kernodle's aunt, Kim Kernodle, said in court, "This is probably gonna bother everybody, but Bryan, I'm here today to tell you I've forgiven you, because I could no longer live with that hate."

"Any time you want to talk and tell me what happened ... I'm here, no judgment," she said to her niece's killer.

Xana Kernodle's dad, Jeff Kernodle, said in court that the thing he misses most is the weekend calls from his daughter.

He said he was staying just a few miles away from the victims' house on the night of the murders and wishes he would have gone over to their house that night.

"They would've had a chance," he said.

Xana Kernodle's sister, Jazzmin Kernodle, said in court she was unsure if she'd speak today. "In the end, I realized this moment isn't about you -- it's about justice for Xana, Ethan, Kaylee and Maddie," she said.

She called her sister "a gift to each person she was able to make an impact on."

Xana Kernodle was the younger sister, but Jazzmin Kernodle said she often found herself looking up to her.

"Xana was someone I turned to when I needed direction or advice," she said.

"She truly did live every day to the fullest. Yet her story was cut short by an act of evil," she said. "She won't be the maid of honor at my wedding, the cool aunt to my future children. ... But I will carry her with me for the rest of my life. I will live in her honor, fight to be the best kind of woman, someone she's proud of."

"Xana's story doesn't end with what was taken from her. It lives through the love she gave the people she touched and the legacy her family will protect," she said.