The tragic deaths of four University of Idaho students in 2022 shocked the nation. A masked intruder entered their rental home and fatally stabbed them in their sleep, abruptly ending their futures.
Each victim had unique aspirations: Madison Mogen, a marketing major, was involved in promoting her workplace, a Greek restaurant. Kaylee Goncalves, a senior, was excitedly planning a post-graduation trip to Europe. Xana Kernodle, also a marketing major, was known for her uplifting spirit. Lastly, Ethan Chapin, a freshman, shared the university experience with his triplet siblings.
The defendant, 30-year-old Bryan Kohberger, is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday to request a plea agreement that could exempt him from the death penalty, according to Shannon Gray, the attorney for the Goncalves family.
The students’ bodies were found stabbed to death on Nov. 13, 2022, at a rental home across the street from the university campus in Moscow, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of Spokane, Washington.
Chapin, Kernodle’s boyfriend, was there visiting on the night of the attack. All of them were friends and members of the university’s Greek system. The killings left many of their classmates and residents reeling with grief and fear.
Autopsies showed the four were all likely asleep when they were attacked. Some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times.
Here are profiles of the students:
Madison Mogen
Madison Mogen, 21, a senior, worked with Kernodle at a Greek restaurant in Moscow. She was a marketing major who ran a social media campaign for the business. She also was a member of Pi Beta Phi.
Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves grew up together in northern Idaho and were best friends.
Along with photos, Mogen collected quotes on her Instagram page.
“It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, but a good amount of it actually is,” read one post.
Ben Mogen, Madison’s father, told a crowd at a 2022 vigil in Moscow that she was his only child, so “everything she ever did was such a big deal.” Talking about “Maddie” was his pride, Mogen said, and the two loved attending music concerts together.
“When I would meet people ever since she was first born, and they would say, ‘Tell me about yourself,’ the first thing I would say is, ‘I have this daughter — here’s a picture of her, she’s on the dean’s list at college, she works hard, she has all these friends at her sorority,’” Mogen said.
Kaylee Goncalves
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, was a senior majoring in general studies. She had joined the Alpha Phi sorority and was planning a trip to Europe the following year.
Kaylee and Madison met as sixth graders and became inseparable, Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, said at the 2022 vigil.
“They went to high school together, then they started looking at colleges, they came here together. They eventually got into the same apartment together,” he said. “And in the end, they died together, in the same room, in the same bed.”
“It’s a shame and it hurts, but the beauty of the two always being together comforts us,” he said.
Kaylee Goncalves chronicled some of her history with Mogen in an Instagram post celebrating Mogen’s 21st birthday in May 2022.
“I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to be the main character in all my childhood stories,” she wrote.
Mogen replied, “love you more than life! My best friend forever and more,” with a heart emoji.
Xana Kernodle
Xana Kernodle, a 20-year-old junior from Post Falls, Idaho, was studying marketing and had joined the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
Jazzmin Kernodle described her younger sister as lighthearted, saying she was the kind of person who always lifted up a room.
“You rarely get to meet someone like Xana,” her sister said. “She was so positive, funny and was loved by everyone who met her.”
For her high school graduation in 2020, Xana decorated her mortarboard with flower and butterfly cut-outs and the words, “For The Lives That I Will Change.”
Kernodle and Chapin were friends before they began dating, according to Chapin’s mother, Stacy Chapin, and Kernodle spent time with the entire Chapin family.
Ethan Chapin
Ethan Chapin, a 20-year-old freshman from Mount Vernon, Washington, was a triplet. His brother and sister also attended the university and this spring the family celebrated their graduations in a social media post. The brothers were both members of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Chapin spent his last day with his siblings, attending a dance hosted by Chapin’s sister’s sorority, according to their mother. Ethan Chapin was his sister’s date and their brother was her roommate’s date, Stacy Chapin said.
“They all spent their last day together, all dressed up, and had a great time,” she said. “We’re all thankful that they spent that time together.”
Stacy Chapin described her son as “carefree” and said he could “read any situation and make it better.”
“Since attending the University of Idaho, Ethan lived his best life,” according to his obituary. “He loved the social life, intramurals and tolerated the academics. He also continued to play sports.”
“If he wasn’t on the golf course or working, you could usually find him surfing, playing sand volleyball or pickle ball,” the obituary said.
The Chapin family has created the Ethan’s Smile Foundation in his memory to provide scholarships that enable others to follow their dreams.
