Mom of University of Idaho victim discusses her son's legacy
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. - In November of 2022, Stacy Chapin learned she lost her son, Ethan, forever.
Ethan was one of three other University of Idaho students who were brutally murdered in their off-campus house while they slept: His girlfriend Xana Kernodle, and roommates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were the other victims.
"We’ve been, and our kids have been to hell and back, but we’re definitely on the other side of this thing," Stacy Chapin said.
FOX 13 sat down with Chapin on Thursday as she wore a bracelet with Ethan’s name. The Skagit County mom also has a tattoo etched in Ethan’s handwriting from a note he wrote years ago.
"They say you spend 80% of your time with your child by the time they’re 18 and I thought to myself ‘I’ve won the lottery because I got 80% of his time,’" Chapin said. "I would be lying if I didn’t say there are some moments that are hard but for the most part, I think we’re doing exceptionally well."
Earlier this month, Chapin was back in Moscow, Idaho for the university’s parents’ weekend.
It's the city where two of her children currently attend college, and where another one of her kids spent his last moments.
"That university and the town of Moscow, and the kids that go to school there and the police department, we have felt so much love from there and the support," Chapin said.
"Jim and I are so proud of the strength that we see in [siblings] Maizie and Hunter. It's one thing for me to talk about what it’s like to lose a son, but as a triplet sibling, I honestly can’t imagine. I can’t speak to what that must be like for them, but my gosh, they are doing so well. They’re going to graduate on time, they’re happy," Chapin said. "You walk away from it and think we’re going to be okay and so are the kids."
While the Chapins put the pieces of their lives back together and carry on, the court proceedings for the man charged in connection to the four murders is still ongoing, but no trial date has yet been set.
"It’s not a place I spend much time, thinking about him," Chapin said. "We made a decision to not let it impact our family. We can’t change the outcome. We can’t bring Ethan back."
As the tulips bloom across Washington, for Chapin, it’s another reminder of her son-- a blend named Ethan's Smile was created in his honor.
"Sometimes it checks you a little bit, it’s a reminder that Ethan is in fact gone, but the outpouring of support, it’s been pretty neat to watch it grow," Chapin said. "We will come out of this on top."
In addition to the tulips, the Ethan’s Smile Foundation provides scholarships to help people follow their dreams. The foundation is getting ready to award their first round of scholarships which will give upwards of $50,000 and offer as many as 25 scholarships, according to Chapin.
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