Idaho stabbing victim Ethan Chapin 'lived his best life' at college

Ethan Chapin, 20, was among four students killed in an off-campus house.

November 22, 2022, 9:59 AM

University of Idaho student Ethan Chapin was "one of the most incredible people you'll ever know," his mother said before his memorial service.

Chapin, from Conway, Washington, was among four Idaho students stabbed to death in an off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13. Chapin didn't live in the house but was sleeping over with his girlfriend, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, who was also among the victims. No arrests have been made.

PHOTO: University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, right, on a boat in Idaho, in an family photo taken in July 2022.
University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, right, on a boat in Idaho, in an family photo taken in July 2022. Both students were among four found stabbed to death in an off-campus rental home on Nov. 13, 2022.
Courtesy Jazzmin Kernodle via AP

Chapin, a triplet, was born right before his sister and brother, who also attend the University of Idaho.

"We're here to honor the life and legacy of our son and brother," his mother, Stacy Chapin, told reporters before Monday's memorial service, with her family standing by her side.

PHOTO: Triplets Ethan, Maizie and Hunter Chapin pose in front of a tulip field in La Conner, Wash., in family photo taken in April of 2021.
Triplets Ethan, Maizie and Hunter Chapin pose in front of a tulip field in La Conner, Wash., in family photo taken in April of 2021. Ethan Chapin was one of four University of Idaho students found stabbed to death in a home near the Moscow, Idaho campus on Nov. 13, 2022.
Courtesy Stacy Chapin via AP

At Idaho, Ethan Chapin was in the Sigma Chi fraternity and was majoring in recreation, sport and tourism management, university president Scott Green said.

The 20-year-old "lived his best life" at college, his obituary said. "He loved the social life, intramurals and tolerated the academics."

PHOTO: Ethan Chapin surfs on Priest Lake in northern Idaho in this family photo from July 2022.
Ethan Chapin surfs on Priest Lake in northern Idaho in this family photo from July 2022. Chapin was one of four University of Idaho students found stabbed to death in a home near the Moscow, Idaho campus on Nov. 13, 2022.
Courtesy Stacy Chapin via AP

He loved sports, from golf to basketball to surfing to pickleball, his family said.

"He laughed continuously. He smiled when he woke up and was still smiling when he went to bed," his obituary said. "He was kind to all and a friend to all."

The murders of Ethan Chapin, Kernodle and two of Kernodle's roommates remain a mystery.

PHOTO: A photo posted by Kaylee Goncalves a few days before their deaths shows University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.
A photo posted by Kaylee Goncalves a few days before their deaths shows University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.
Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram

On the night of Nov. 12, Ethan Chapin and Kernodle went to the Sigma Chi house, while the other two victims, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, went to a bar downtown, according to police. All four were home around 1:45 a.m., police said.

Two other roommates -- who survived the attack and are not considered suspects -- also went out that night and returned home by 1 a.m., police said.

It's believed the four students were killed between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, according to Moscow Mayor Art Bettge.

The two surviving roommates were in the basement and slept through the murders, police said. On the morning of Nov. 13, the roommates called friends over to their house because they thought one of the victims on the second floor had passed out and wasn't waking up, police said.

At 11:58 a.m., a 911 call from one of the roommate's phones requested help for an unconscious person, according to police. The 911 caller's identity has not been released but police said "multiple people talked with the 911 dispatcher."

Officers responded and found the four victims on the second and third floors, police said.

Authorities said they do not believe anyone at the house at the time of the 911 call was involved in the murders.

Police urge anyone with information, or anyone who saw anything suspicious on the night of Nov. 12, to call the tip line at 208-883-7180 or send an email to tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.

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