'They didn’t deserve this': Video of Idaho victim Ethan Chapin's happy moments moves Internet

Netizens were in tears after a TikToker shared a video compilation of Ethan Chapin enjoying his life
PUBLISHED MAY 14, 2023
The video contains several small clips of Ethan Chapin dancing and playing around with his friends (mkxe4l/TikTok)
The video contains several small clips of Ethan Chapin dancing and playing around with his friends (mkxe4l/TikTok)

This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently.

MOSCOW, IDAHO: The Internet was in tears after a TikToker shared a video compilation of slain University of Idaho student Ethan Chapin enjoying life. The video contains several small clips of a cheerful Chapin dancing and playing around with his friends, as well as snaps showing him at school and at home. There are also pictures from his childhood, and a photo with his mother, Stacy Wells.

The University of Idaho reportedly awarded posthumous degrees to slain students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Chapin, 20. The deceased students were awarded their certificates during the university's graduation ceremony on May 13. Best friends Goncalves and Mogen reportedly received a marketing degree and general studies degree, respectively. The two were seniors preparing to graduate. Chapin was a freshman and was awarded a certificate in recreation, sport and tourism management. Kernodle, who was a junior, received a certificate in marketing.

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'They didn’t deserve this'

The heartwarming video, posted by TikTok user mkxe4l, garnered many comments, with one user writing, "Ethan and Xana make heaven more heavenly. still, gone too soon". "This really f******g breaks my heart. They didn’t deserve this," another said. One wrote, "Truly hurts that they’re gone they deserved so so much more." "Makes me so sad," another said. 

Suspect Bryan Kohberger, 28, has been accused of fatally stabbing Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin, in their off-campus three-story rented home on November 13, 2022. He was arrested in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, on December 30, 2022.

Tulip named after Ethan Chapin

Chapin, from Conway, Washington, was a triplet born right before his sister and brother, Maizie and Hunter. His mother Stacy's strength has been hailed by social media users on multiple occasions when she took to Facebook to tell the world about bravely surviving after the tragedy.

After Chapin's murder, his family came up with a unique way to keep his memory alive through a tulip field north of Seattle. Tulip Valley Farms created a tulip mix named 'Ethan's Smile' in the his honor. "This mix of yellow and white tulips has already been planted in several areas around Skagit Valley, meaningful to Ethan and his family, as well as the University of Idaho," Tulip Valley's website says. 

"The white reminds us of his teeth and the smile, and the yellow is bright and cheery and means friendship," Stacy said earlier, according to CBS News. "It's very, very fitting to have known Ethan. That's all he ever did for us, was make us smile all the time," she added.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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