Idaho murders: Internet has new theory about WHY Ethan Chapin was found near Xana Kernodle's room doorway
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently.
MOSCOW, IDAHO: After reports claimed that Xana Kernodle was the last target of the man responsible for killing the four University of Idaho students and that Kernodle had put up a fight before her death, web sleuths are now theorizing about what happened right before she died. In particular, they are wondering why Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, who was also killed by the murderer, was found right outside her room's doorway on the second floor. Earlier reports had stated that Chapin was not one of the house's residents but had stayed with his girlfriend Kernodle that night. He, Kernodle and two other University of Idaho students — Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves — were stabbed to death in the early hours of November 13, 2022.
Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology student, was detained on December 30 in Pennsylvania, thousands of miles away from the murder site, in connection with the quadruple homicide case. He has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary. As per a News Nation report, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were killed on the second floor after Mogen and Goncalves had already been fatally stabbed.
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'What was Ethan Chapin doing in the doorway?'
In a subreddit thread dedicated to discussing the investigtion on the quarduple Idaho homicides, Redditor Outrageous_Note3355 posted a thread with the question, "What about this possible explanation of BK’s (Kohberger) interactions with XK (Kernodle) & EC (Chapin)?" As part of their speculative explanation, the Redditor pushed the theory that Chapin might have been alerted by Kernodle after she heard or saw movement from the third floor and the stairwell. The post then goes on to speculate that the murderer might have overheard Kernodle saying "there's someone there" and gone "to investigate to evaluate whether this is a collateral damage situation." At this point, Chapin might have gone to the doorway of Kernodle's room, where he came face to face with Kohberger, who then responded by attacking Chapin and then his girlfriend.
Seconding Outrageous_Note3355's speculation, one user wrote, "Pretty much agree with all of the above. No way to know for sure until trial and even then we may not know but your speculation sounds pretty logical." Another user commented, "I think BK saw the door dash order being delivered, that whole exchange. No way he wasn’t scouting that door before going in, studying movement. Saw XK, planned to kill her too. I think he was aiming to kill MM and XK, but ended up killing the other two as collateral damage." A third user stated, "I believe it actually was reported a few days ago on more specific details that EC was killed in the doorway with a slashed throat immediately. And that XK had major defensive wounds so badly her fingers were almost off her hands (this was reported from New Nation sometime last week)".
Death of Xana Kernodle as per affidavit
The News nation report, and new details in the Idaho murder case suggest that Chapin was reportedly killed outside his girlfriend Xana Kernodle's room and that Xana fought back with the murderer to the extent that her fingers were almost severed, until her last breath. As per phone records, Xana was using TikTok at 4.12 am, demonstrating that she was still awake and alive, as MEAWW previously reported. She was reportedly stabbed between 4.00 and 4.25 am in the morning, as per the police affidavit, making her the last victim of the murderer. Two other occupants of the house - Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke - escaped unharmed.