Latest news with #ChapinFamily
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Parents of slain Idaho student Ethan Chapin say they've found 'big-time closure'
Ethan Chapin, one of four University of Idaho students stabbed to death in the fall of 2022, had a lighthearted, sometimes goofy presence his family still feels today. The 6-foot-4-inch student rarely took things too seriously, they said, making their loss staggering and their recovery a daily battle against the weight of darkness. "The days do get better," Stacy Chapin, speaking alongside her husband, Jim, said for the couple's first major sit-down interview, airing Monday morning on "TODAY." The Chapins were present July 2 when defendant Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder under an agreement that will skip a painful trial, a godsend for the Chapins. He'll remain behind bars until his last breath. "It was cold and calculated and weirdly, like an automated phone message," Stacy Chapin said of seeing the defendant in person for the first time. "I mean, it was just like you expected some, I don't know, remorse, emotion, something. And there was zero." His plea has so far come without an explanation or a disclosure of a motive, but nearly three years after the violence, the Chapins say they don't need an explanation anymore. "If I could physically do a handstand, I'd probably do one, because I am so ready," Jim Chapin said. "I'm ready for my kids to move on. I'm ready for us to move on. I mean, it's been almost 2½ years, and it's, just, it's over." Sentencing is July 23 in Boise. The Chapins say that, even with the deal, it's possible that Kohberger will never explain what drove him to 1122 King Road early on Nov. 13, 2022, when he entered a home not his own and drove his knife repeatedly into the flesh of four University of Idaho students before a surviving roommate saw him leave wearing a ski mask, she said. Ethan Chapin was a 20-year-old freshman studying recreation, sport and tourism management. His minors? Bud Light Lime and Taco Bell, his parents say. In many ways, Kohberger contrasted his victims' optimism and fun with a demanding demeanor that got him into trouble at Washington State University Global Campus in Pullman, about 8 miles from King Road. Students there and other sources said Kohberger, a doctoral student in criminology, was under fire for his attitude in his teaching assistant role, grading papers and counseling students. Some students complained, they said, and he was called in for meetings. Kohberger's social media surfing in the fall of 2022, reviewed by NBC News, showed he binged on the imagery of some of the friends and followers of the three women killed in the attack. One of them, Xana Kernodle, 20, was Chapin's girlfriend and the reason he was at King Road that morning, authorities have said. Housemates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, were also slain. Motive might ultimately end up locked up for good with Kohberger, who hasn't spoken about it. "I don't believe that we will ever learn that, and I don't need to know," Stacy Chapin said. "It doesn't change the outcome. It's a horrific event. We've gotten through it. I mean, as best as we can, as we continue to heal every single day." The plea agreement saved their surviving children, Maizie and Hunter, born alongside Ethan as triplets, from possibly having to testify about him at trial, the Chapins said. The deal raised eyebrows among some of the victims' parents. "Our first, our initial response was like, the eye, an eye for an eye," Stacy Chapin said. But after speaking with prosecutors and family, the Chapins concluded "this was a better deal," she said. "He gets put away, and there's no appeal system to it, and there were so many kids, including our own, that had been subpoenaed that no longer have this hanging over their heads," Stacy added. Jim Chapin said locking the defendant away will prevent him from killing anyone, including college students, again. "I really don't care what happens to the guy," he said. "He's off the streets. He can't hurt any more kids." For the Chapins, the deal is done, and they're now happy with it. They're not even planning to attend sentencing because they feel the case wrapped the minute the defendant said "guilty." It was the point at which the couple was finally ready to move on, Jim Chapin said. "There's big-time closure," he said. Maizie and Hunter recently completed undergraduate studies at the University of Idaho, the couple said, and took part in commencement ceremonies as the Chapins beamed. Their parents hated the possibility of their children having to testify and endure "memory lane" style displays of imagery from Ethan's childhood, a painful prospect, they said. A successful prosecution wasn't guaranteed, opening up the possibility of a second trial and more pain, they said. And even if Kohberger were found guilty of capital murder, executions can take decades and involve hearings that would bring the Chapins right back to their ringside seats to relive their greatest loss. While relatives of other victims were unhappy with the way the plea agreement with the defendant was rolled out, the Chapins were ready to say goodbye to all of it. Their appearance on the Prime Video docuseries "One Night in Idaho: The College Murders," which debuted over the weekend, was calculated, the couple said. "We got to control the narrative when it comes to Ethan," Stacy Chapin said. "This is our version of Ethan, who was incredible. We set out consciously to make sure that it was our story, our Ethan." Directors Liz Garbus and Matthew Galkin "knocked it out of the park" in portraying Ethan's airy outlook, Jim Chapin said. The Chapins' loss nearly paralyzed the couple: "Crying in your coffee" every morning is how Stacy Chapin described their life. But the two consciously dug themselves out of sorrow and misery and eventually were able to establish a foundation in Ethan's name, Ethan's Smile, which has given scholarships to more than 80 students. And Stacy got moving literally, on her treadmill, step by step. "You hike your demons out," she said. It's clear that the couple have emerged and that they are happy not to have the daily tribulations of a trial filling up their heads. They've let go of much of that, but they say Ethan will always resonate in the household. "He just could just blow into any room and had something funny to say," Stacy said. "Elevated everything, you know, just the energy in a room. His Jeep is here. His things are here. He's here." This article was originally published on
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
‘They know the community up here is with them,' former neighbors of Chapin family react to plea deal
The story of the 4 college students killed in Moscow, Idaho, hits home in Western Washington. Ethan Chapin, one of the students killed, grew up in Skagit County before attending the University of Idaho. The Chapin family did move away from the area several years ago, but that doesn't mean people have forgotten who the family was prior to the tragedy. 'I just remember those 3 little triplets running around in their yard up there,' Lisa Anderson, a former neighbor of the Chapins, said. Anderson says she also remembers seeing the Chapin triplets getting on and off the school bus. She of course isn't the only former neighbor KIRO7 spoke with that had nothing but nice things to say about Chapin family and Ethan. 'And they are an excellent family. They were all hard working, the kids,' Bonnie Thompson, another previous neighbor, said. Thompson says what happened to Ethan nearly three years ago still weighs incredibly heavy not only for her neighborhood, but really all of Mount Vernon and Skagit County. 'It's a very sad thing that's happened to a good family,' Thompson said. Many people in the county both on and off the record shared some strong feelings about the plea deal reached with suspected murderer Bryan Kohberger. Some hope the plea deal will help give the family closure, while others feel it isn't enough. 'No, I don't agree with that at all. He killed all of those kids,' Anderson said. Although there are mixed reactions about this plea deal, those who know and remember the Chapin family tell KIRO7 they will always have their backs. 'They know the community up here is with them,' Thompson said. 'And the whole neighborhood will always remember those kids,' Anderson said. KIRO7 has reached out to the Chapin family for comment about the plea deal and is still waiting for a response.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
Triplet siblings of murdered Idaho student graduate without him
MOSCOW, Idaho - It's been more than two years since four University of Idaho students were murdered in an off-campus house in November of 2022. On Saturday, one of those students, Ethan Chapin, would have been graduating. As a triplet, his siblings walked across the stage without him. "They have just persevered, it's amazing, their strength and their ability to move forward," Stacy Chapin, Ethan's mom said. She prepared for this day to be emotional when FOX 13 first talked with her a few months ago. She said, she is just amazed with how his siblings have been able to move forward despite Ethan not being here for this monumental day. Still, she says they are blessed to have had 20 years with him. What they're saying "We have this motto 'live life like Ethan,'" Chapin shared. "It's a day that honestly, that Jim and I just have to be parents that day. We just have to be parents to Maizie and Hunter and the obvious is, obviously Ethan isn't graduating that day and that's going to be tough, but it's a day we will just simply celebrate Maizie and Hunter," Chapin said. She added the whole world should be proud of them after they persevered following this tragedy that their family faced. To honor Ethan and keep his spirit alive, his family started Ethan Chapin's Smile Foundation. Local perspective Earlier this month, the foundation awarded another $50,000 in scholarships to help others follow their dreams. They called this round of awards bittersweet, as Ethan should have been graduating this month. Instead, they said, they're honoring his smile, his kindness and his passion for life by providing scholarships. "He was a magnanimous personality and Jim and I are proud of that," Chapin said. The trial for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing Ethan, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves, is scheduled to start on August 11. The Source Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle interviews. New area code coming to Seattle area in June. What to know WA's first In-N-Out gets closer to opening date VIDEO: Dramatic arrest of WA mother carrying toddler, stolen gun Pro-Palestinian protesters cause $1M in damage at UW, 34 arrested Health experts say 'harmless' symptoms could be signs of blood disease 2 WA brothers arrested after high-speed pursuit on I-90 Video shows shackled inmate escape custody at Sea-Tac, board light rail To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
