Family of Ethan Chapin break silence after Kohberger's sentencing

Daily Mail​

5 days ago

By
The family of Idaho murders victim Ethan Chapin have spoken out for the first time since Bryan Kohberger was jailed for life for slaughtering their son and his three friends inside a college home. Chapin's parents Jim and Stacy Chapin and triplet siblings Maizie and Hunter chose not to attend Kohberger's sentencing at Ada County Courthouse in Boise last week or share a victim impact statement to be read on their behalf.
Instead, they planned to spend the day together as a family honoring the 20-year-old freshman at their home in Priest Lake, Idaho. Now, one week on, the Chapin family has released a separate statement on Instagram voicing their support for the outcome of the case and paying tribute to their son who 'touched so many lives.' 'We've given a lot of thought to what we should say since 7/23 and have edited this a million times,' they said, alongside a series of photos of the family together. 'The entire situation has been a tough pill to swallow but at the end of the day, we believe the outcome is the right one.'
Earlier this month, the Chapins voiced their support for a plea deal which saw Kohberger plead guilty to the murders of Chapin, his girlfriend Xana Kernodle, both 20, and 21-year-old best friends Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. In the early hours of November 13, 2022, Kohberger broke into the off-campus student home at 1122 King Road in Moscow and stabbed the four victims to death. The 30-year-old criminology PhD student was arrested around six weeks later on December 30, 2022, at his parents' home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, where he had gone for the holidays.
After spending more than two years fighting the charges, Kohberger finally confessed to his crimes during a change of plea hearing on July 2. That was the only court hearing the Chapin family attended in the killer's case, as a show of support for the plea deal. On July 23, Judge Steven Hippler handed Kohberger four life sentences with no possibility of parole for each count of first-degree murder and an additional 10 years for burglary. Under the terms of the deal - which spared him from the death penalty - Kohberger has waived his right to ever appeal. In the Chapin family's statement, they did not name or mention the killer but took the moment to thank their son for the 'many ways you brought happiness and light to any situation'.
'Thank you, Ethan. You were only with us for 20 years, but you touched the lives of so many people,' they said. 'From the time you were a baby to when we dropped you off at college, you were an absolute joy and the glue that held our family together. 'We remember your smile, your laugh, how you kept us in check, and the many ways you brought happiness and light to any situation. There will never be another you. There would never have been enough time with you. We love you, miss you, and promise to continue honoring your legacy.'
The Chapin family also thanked 'the true heroes in our lives' including the multiple law enforcement agencies and prosecutors who worked on the case, the University of Idaho staff who supported them and the media for sharing their story. The family also thanked everyone who has supported them including the students' friends who 'all have suffered severe loss and trauma.' 'Our incredible extended family, friends, and the communities that continue to lift us up every day. They're our backbone, and we recognize how fortunate and privileged we are to have this ongoing support,' the statement read. 'All of the kids!! Close friends of the triplets, Greek family, and others who were part of this story from the very beginning. 'Although each of their experiences is different, all have suffered severe loss and trauma. We continue to be in awe of their strength, and will continue to support them in any way we can.'
Chapin had been in his freshman year at the University of Idaho, where he majored in sports management and was part of the Sigma Chi fraternity. The athletic, outgoing student was dating Kernodle and was staying at her student home on the night of the murders. Stacy told the Daily Mail earlier this month that 'he was the clown of the family and he lifted any room that we were all in'. 'I would say he was the top of the triplet pyramid. All things went through Ethan. He kept us all in check,' she said. She also revealed that the family had made a decision to 'forge ahead' with life in the months after their son's murder. 'My husband Jim and I just made a decision one morning. We were like, OK, we're not getting anywhere. This is not a true measure of success for us and our kids and our family,' she said. 'And so we just decided from that day forward, we'd get up, shower, and forge ahead.'
The families of the three other victims delivered emotional victim impact statements during last week's sentencing, where they confronted the man who slaughtered their loved ones while they slept. Goncalves' older sister Alivea Goncalves tore into Kohberger as a 'delusional, pathetic, hypochondriadic loser' and demanded: 'Sit up straight when I talk to you.' 'I won't stand her and give you what you want, I won't give you tears… instead I will call you what you are: sociopath, psychopath, murderer,' as Kohberger looked on intently. She concluded with the fiery comment: 'If you hadn't attacked them in their sleep in the middle of the night like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your [expletive] ass.'
Surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen - who came face-to-face with Kohberger moments after he murdered her friends - sobbed uncontrollably as she told him he was a 'hollow vessel' and 'less than human.' While the families and friends voiced their heartbreak, grief and fury at his crimes, Kohberger stared blankly without showing a flicker of emotion or remorse. When it was his chance to speak, he uttered the three words, 'I respectfully decline' - refusing the chance to reveal his motive and leaving the victims' families in the dark about the murders.
Despite his guilty plea, many unanswered questions remain, including Kohberger's motive, who his intended target was and why he chose his victims. However, new information is starting to be made public since Moscow Police released a trove of 314 records from the investigation that ultimately led to Kohberger's arrest. Among the revelations are reports from the victims' friends and surviving roommates that there had been a string of disturbing incidents at 1122 King Road in the lead-up to the murders.
Goncalves had told friends she had seen a man watching her in the trees around the home and the roommates had come home to find the front door open one day. It is not clear if these incidents are related to Kohberger but cell phone evidence does indicate he was surveilling the home months before the murders. Kohberger is now being held in the Idaho Maximum Security Institution where he will see out his dying days.