The murder of four University of Idaho students continues to be a cause of sorrow for the Moscow community and the area at large twelve days after it occurred. And the mystery is still incredibly unsolved. Information about the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves has been made public by the Moscow Police Department.
Some information is being withheld. Investigators are still looking for further key details about what happened as they try to find the person responsible for the gruesome killings. A timeline of what happened that weekend and in the days that followed is provided here. On November 12 between 8 and 9 p.m., Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington, and Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, who were dating, were spotted at a Sigma Chi party on Nez Perce Drive.
From 10 p.m. on November 12 until 1:30 a.m. on November 13, Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho, and Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, were spotted at the Corner Club. They then went to the Grub Truck on Main Street at around 1:40 a.m., and at around 1:45 a.m., they returned to the King Road house after getting a ride from a man who police believe isn’t a suspect.
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At around 1:45 a.m., Chapin and Kernodle also arrived at the King Road house. The couple’s whereabouts between the Sigma Chi party and their return to the house have not been disclosed by the police. There, Kernodle resided, and Chapin was a guest.
Two further roommates, who have not been identified and are not thought to be involved in the murder, had gone out separately in the Moscow neighborhood but had returned to the house by one in the morning. Goncalves and Mogen called a male numerous times after arriving home. Later, one of Goncalves’ sisters said that the calls were made between 2:30 and 2:52 in the morning. The male they were calling isn’t a suspect, according to the police.
“The killings stunned bucolic Moscow, a college town and agricultural center that got its first Target store last year. The city, population of 26,000, is surrounded by rolling wheat and bean fields and had not seen a homicide since 2015.” https://t.co/nkb3Gl0vq5
— darlene superville (@dsupervilleap) November 24, 2022
At the King Road apartment, the four victims were killed early on November 13. The scene of the crime went uncovered for several hours. The two surviving roommates called friends to the house late on November 13 because they thought one of the victims on the second floor had passed out and was not waking up.
A 911 call was placed on a cellphone owned by one of the surviving housemates at 11:58 a.m. Before a Moscow police officer arrived at the scene, many people spoke with the 911 dispatcher. None of the witnesses to the 911 call is under suspicion for the crime. The four victims were discovered on the second and third levels of the house when the police entered.
Detectives are looking for any exterior surveillance footage from businesses and residences between the hours of 3 and 6 a.m. on November 13 in the vicinity of West Taylor Avenue (north boundary), West Palouse River Drive (south boundary), U.S. Highway 95 south to the 2700 block of U.S. 95 (east boundary), and the University of Idaho Arboretum & Botanical Garden (west boundary).
On November 13, at about 1 p.m., a Vandal Alert about “a killing on King Rd. near campus” is sent out. People are urged to take cover according to the advisory. A second advisory, sent out about 90 minutes later, warned people to be attentive but not to seek shelter in place because the police did not feel there was an ongoing threat.
The identities of the killed students were made public by the Moscow police on the morning of November 14. According to data acquired during the preliminary inquiry, “The Moscow Police does not feel there is an ongoing community risk,” the police said in a news statement.
The police declare that “an edged weapon such as a knife” was used in the killings on the morning of November 15. Additionally, they stated that they thought this was a “targeted, isolated attack and there is no immediate threat to the community at large.”
Three days after the murders, on November 16, in the afternoon, the police conducted their first press conference. Police Chief James Fry stated that although they continue to believe that this was “an isolated, targeted attack on our victims,” they cannot “claim that there is no threat to the community” because the culprit is still at large.
Nov. 17 saw the revelation of the autopsy findings that proved the victims were killed by stabbing. According to Cathy Mabbutt, the coroner for Latah County, “it would have had to be a huge knife.” There were two more press conferences on Sunday and Wednesday.
There was not much fresh information regarding the incident provided to the media and public, save from a few people who were eliminated as suspects. Moscow Capt. Roger Lanier stated, “We told the public very plainly from the beginning that we believe it was a targeted attack. To be completely honest, you’ll just have to take our word for it at this point since we won’t reveal our reasoning.
Both the murder weapon and suspects have not yet been publicly recognized. At 5 o’clock on Wednesday, a candlelight vigil will be conducted on the lawn of the UI Administration Building in Moscow in memory of the victims.