On Saturday, November 12, 2022, Ethan Chapin accompanied his sister Maizie to a sorority formal at the University of Idaho. They were 20 years old, two members of a set of triplets who had grown up together and chosen the same university. Ethan was sociable, funny and close to his family. After the formal, he wanted Maizie to join him and his friends for the rest of the evening. She was tired and decided to go to bed.
Ethan kept sending messages, encouraging her to come out. Maizie stopped responding. His final message was unusually affectionate for their relationship. He told her he loved her. She later recalled finding the words strange because the siblings rarely expressed themselves in such direct terms. She had no reason to suspect she would never hear from him again.
Elsewhere in Moscow, Ethan’s girlfriend, Xana Kernodle, was enjoying another Saturday with friends. The 20-year-old marketing student had grown up in northern Idaho and developed a reputation for making people laugh. Her older sister, Jazzmin, remembered a young woman who made the best of difficult situations and cared deeply about her friends. Xana and Ethan had become close before their relationship developed into a romance. By the summer of 2022, she was spending time with his family.
Across town, 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves and her best friend, Madison Mogen, were spending the evening together. Their friendship stretched back to sixth grade. They had grown up alongside one another, attended the same university and eventually shared a house near campus. Kaylee was preparing for a new chapter in her life, with plans involving work and travel. Madison, also 21, was studying marketing and working at the Mad Greek restaurant, where Xana was employed.
The women had spent much of their lives together. Their families had watched the friendship survive adolescence, different social circles and the transition into adulthood. Kaylee had recently returned to Moscow to visit Madison and show off her new vehicle. Before leaving college behind, she wanted another weekend with the people closest to her.
Their home at 1122 King Road was a three-story rental property occupied by six young women. The bedrooms were spread across the building, with a kitchen and living areas on the middle floor. Friends visited frequently. Parties, visitors and late nights formed part of ordinary student life. Ethan often stayed with Xana, while Kaylee’s dog, Murphy, was a familiar presence in the house.
On Saturday night, Kaylee and Madison visited the Corner Club bar before stopping at a late-night food truck. Surveillance footage captured them waiting for food and talking with other customers. Nothing about their movements suggested any immediate danger. They eventually received a ride home, arriving around 1:56 a.m.
Xana and Ethan had spent time around the Sigma Chi fraternity house, returning to King Road earlier in the morning. The two other roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were also home. As the night continued, the residents began retreating to their bedrooms.
By sunrise, four of them would be dead.
