Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle Obituary, Slain Idaho students

Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle Obituary, Slain Idaho students

Ethan Chapin’s last day was spent with his siblings, dressing up and dancing.

Chapin was one of four University of Idaho students who were stabbed to death last weekend while police were still hunting for the killer, a triplet. His siblings also attended quaint state schools tucked away in the rolling hills of north-central Idaho.

“He was dating our daughter, Maizie, and his brother was dating Maizie’s roommate,” Chapin’s mother, Stacy Chapin, said in an interview Wednesday. The group attended a dance hosted by the Maizie Fraternity. “They spent the last day together, all dressed up and having a great time. We are all grateful for the time they spent together.”

Ethan Chapin took pictures of the incident on his phone, but the family has yet to see them. The device was seized by law enforcement as potential evidence in a murder investigation.

he pictures may have shown the waves of his dark hair and the dimples that appear when he smiles. What they won’t show is Ethan’s talent for making people laugh, or that he doesn’t care which restaurant the family goes to as long as they go together.

“He can read any situation and make it better,” Stacey Chapin said. “He’s just so carefree.” Ethan, a 20-year-old Sigma Chi fraternity-loving sportsman, is dating 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, a junior marketing major. ​​​

Also a member of the Pi Beta Philosophical Fellowship. Both were killed in Sunday’s violent attack, stabbed to death by one or more killers in the Kernodle residential complex, just steps from the university campus.

Two of Kernodle’s roommates and friends, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were also killed in the attack. The bodies of the four students were found hours later, and police have yet to locate a suspect or the murder weapon.

Kernodle’s older sister, Jazzmin Kernodle, said Kernodle had a cheerful personality — the kind of guy who was always upgrading rooms. “It’s rare that you meet someone like Xana,” her sister said via text message. “She’s so positive, funny and everyone she meets loves her.”

Xana Kernodle attended high school in the quaint northern Idaho town of Post Falls. For her 2020 graduation, she adorned her gown with floral and butterfly motifs and the words “For the life I will change.”

One of her high school friends, Garrett Sciortino, was emotional during a candlelight vigil Wednesday in northern Idaho. But he couldn’t help laughing as he shared stories about their time together, reports Coeur d’Alene Press.