28 April 2023 , 13:38
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The parents of a 20-year-old slain along with his girlfriend and her roommates have spoken out about the last time they saw their son.
When Jim and Stacy Chapin left the University of Idaho on November 6 last year, they traded high fives with their children, content their triplets were "having the time of their lives" - but they had no way of knowing what tragedy was coming.
"We drove out of town that Sunday morning...and we literally high fived each other that day," Stacy said via Fox News.
"We literally congratulated each other. We were like, 'we've done it, we've done it, they're 'adulting'. They're kind. We've done it. We can rest easy.'"
Just a week later, their son Ethan was brutally killed along with his girlfriend, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, and her roommates Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.
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University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves (second from left, bottom) and Madison Mogen (second from left, top), Ethan Chapin (center) and Xana Kernodle (second from right) were stabbed to death in their beds as they slept (ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)
Jim and Stacy Chapin pose with their triplets at the University of Idaho parent weekend in November 2022, one week before their son Ethan (second from right) was killed (Stacey Chapin)The murders threw the family into the "depths of hell" according to Stacy, and now, the family are coming through the other side and have broken their silence after months.
Jim fought back tears as he remembered the last time he spoke to his son.
He said: "We said goodbye in the parking lot Saturday night.
"Sigma Chi house. Gave him a hug. Told him to be safe. And that was the last time."
Despite what happened, the parents are not angry.
The family of Ethan Chapin, one of the victims in the University of Idaho murders, open up about how they have found a unique way to plant lasting memories of their son. (NBC News)"That's a negative energy, and it's not worth it," Jim explained.
"It's an honest answer," added Stacy, "It's a tough hand to be dealt, but we can't change the outcome."
Instead, the pair have created a foundation in Ethan's honour from their grief - Ethan's Smile.
It all started at Tulip Valley Farms in Mount Vernon, Washington.
Ethan had worked for the farm owner during lockdown in 2020, and following his murder the farm created the 'Ethan's Smile' tulip mix.
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It was the proceeds from the sales of the mix and bulbs which actually helped the Chapins launch the foundation, which will fund scholarships for students in Skagit Valley, Washington, where the children grew up, to go to the University of Idaho.
After five months of silence, it was the foundation which got the family talking again.
Following the murders, the Chapins spent two months shut in together - Stacy and Jim along with the two surviving triplets Hunter and Maizie.
Jim and Stacy Chapin pose with their triplets at the University of Idaho parent weekend in November 2022, one week before their son Ethan (second from right) was killed (Stacey Chapin)Stacy spoke about how they worked their way through the difficult time.
She said: "We just walked it out. Talked it out. Told stories. Cried.
"One day, I was out walking by myself. I was crying so hard. I happened upon somebody. And I thought they were going to call 911 on me."
Now, it's the small wins they're focusing on - like how the University of Idaho has embraced them, even making Jim and Stacy honorary graduates.
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested for first degree murder of the four University of Idaho students (Monroe County PA Correctional Fa/ZUMA Press Wire Service/REX/Shutterstock)Maizie was also named the "sweetheart" of Sigma Chi - Ethan's fraternity. Her brother Hunter was there are she received the honour.
They know it won't all be smooth sailing, with Stacy saying: "I just realised the next milestone is gonna be Mother's Day. That's going to be a tough one."
Last year, Ethan marked the day by sending his mum the new Morgan Wallen song, 'Thought You Should Know', which Wallen wrote for his own mother. The song includes the touching line: "All those prayers you thought you wasted on me must've finally made their way on through."
Stacy recalled: "He was like, 'mum, that's pretty fitting for you'. It will now always forever be my most favourite song.
"You wish you could be like, 'hey, Morgan Wallen, let me tell you how much you've touched our life by that'."
The Chapins don't live with "what-ifs" though.
Jim says he has "no regrets whatsoever" as he remembers building sand castle with his kids when they were little, and playing in cribbage tournaments in recent years.
The family has a motto - go big, or go home. The parents worked hard for the life they have.
Jim has three children from a previous marriage, but he and Stacy were plagued by fertility issues. Finally in true "go big or go home fashion" Stacy fell pregnant with triplets.
"I thought it was an interesting gift," Jim laughed.
While Stacy added: "We had to work hard to get those kids".
Stacy became a stay at home mum, giving up her career, while Jim ran the family business.
Ethan's accused killer, Bryan Kohbherger, is seto to appear in court again in June, but the Chapins don't plan on attending, with Jim talking about the "negative energy" it would cause - something they're trying to avoid.
Instead, the parents want other parents to give their kids the gift of time. "We spent 110 per cent of our time with our kids," said Jim.
"If we had a message to literally give anybody... I mean I don't think we missed a basketball game or sporting event of our kids," Stacy added.
"They grow up so fast," Jim said.