MOSCOW, Idaho – Thousands of people gathered at the University of Idaho in Moscow on Wednesday night to pay tribute to the four students killed on November 13.
Ethan Chapin, 20; Xana Kernodle, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, all students at the University of Idaho, were stabbed to death likely in their sleep on November 13 between 3 and 4 am in a Moscow, Idaho, home on King Road near the University campusaccording to the police.
The attacker used a “fixed blade knife” to kill the victims, police said, adding that no suspect had been identified as of Wednesday.
Several families of the victims spoke at the vigil, which concluded with a minute’s silence for each person killed in the attack.
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Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s father, spoke at the vigil, saying “we lost four beautiful souls.”
She said that Kaylee and Mogen have been best friends since sixth grade and did everything together.
“They did homework together. They came to our house together. They shared everything… They convinced us. They made a proposal to go to high school, to a normal high school. So they went to high school together,” Goncalves said.
Their friendship continued at the university, where Goncalves said the two got an apartment together “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 always being together is something that goes well, it comforts us. She lets us know that they were with her best friends from all over the world. It’s like a book”, Goncalves. he said.
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Stacy Chapin, Ethan’s mother, said that while she can’t change what has happened in recent weeks, she wants to “share in Ethan’s legacy.”
“So this is where we choose to focus our energy because now we are the voice of Ethan. What I want you to know is that our family is no different than most or probably all of your families,” Chapin said. “We are forever grateful to have spent so much time with him.”
Chapin told the audience to “spend as much time as possible” with the family, adding that “time is precious and it’s something you can’t get back.”
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Ben Mogen, Madison’s father, said he always boasted about his daughter when talking to other people.
“When I’ve met people since she was born, when I’ve met people, they told me to tell me about you,” Mogen said. “The first thing I would say is, well, I have this daughter and she, you know, here’s a picture of her. She’s on the dean’s list…and she works hard, and she has all these great friends, the sorority.”
“I would just tell them all about Maddie,” he said.
University of Idaho President Scott Green said the losses “are especially heavy on many at our university.”
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Flowers at a makeshift memorial at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, on Monday, November 21, 2022, for four of its students who were killed on November 13.
(Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Susan Ellis attended the vigil on Wednesday and told Fox News Digital there is a sense of fear in the community after the four students were killed.
“Now we close our doors. Now, you know, we make sure we know who’s walking next to us,” Ellis said. “People are talking about it among themselves, you know, just trying to deal with where do we go from here? We’re not the innocent community that we used to be.”
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Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Moscow police at 208-883-7054 or email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz, Paul Best, Stephanie Pagones and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
