The family of a University of Idaho student murdered last year has shared the special way they’re honouring their son’s legacy.
Ethan Chapin, his girlfriend Xana Kernodle and Kernodle’s roommates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were brutally stabbed on 13 November at their off-campus rental home. Washington State University PhD student Bryan Kohberger was arrested on 30 December in Pennsylvania and is now awaiting trial in Idaho for the murders.
Families of the victims are unable to speak about the case with the media due to a gag order in place, but Ethan’s parents Stacey and Jim Chapin have opened up about a heartwarming initiative started by their son’s coworkers at the Tulip Valley Farm, where Ethan worked before he graduated high school.
The tulip planting field has dedicated a yellow and white tulip mix to the memory of the slain student, and named it “Ethan’s Smile.” The proceeds will go to a foundation created by the Chapins, which will support students at Ethan’s high school who are planning to attend the University of Idaho.
“A tulip became something tangible and something that people can grasp on,” Ms Chapin told the TODAY show. “We realised that by creating a foundation we can give scholarships back to kids to be able to follow their dreams. And that’s the best thing we could do in his honour.”
Reese Garner, one of the workers at the tulip farm who came up with the idea, said he “was one of the lucky kids who got to work in the tulip farm with him” and that Ethan “had the best smile. You couldn’t see it and not instantly smile back.”
The tulip farm is also selling sweatshirts, t-shirts, and stickers to commemorate Ethan’s life and his impact on many lives.
“Ethan loved people and he was an inclusive kid. He loved great adventures,” Ms Chapin told the TODAY show. “Ethan was the kid who other kids would call and find out when he was in the work schedule because everyone wanted to work with [him]. When this happened, the kids decided that they needed a way to honour him.”
Ethan’s fraternity Sigma Chi also started a scholarship in his honour, which will be presented annually to a “deserving undergraduate member of the Gamma Eta Chapter.” The fundraiser has already reached its goal of $125,000, with Ethan’s mother and grandmother matching donations up to $10,000.
Last week, authorities investigating the quadruple murders disclosed the existence of a Giglio/Brady list related to one of the officers involved in the case. The findings could potentially affect the ongoing criminal proceedings against Mr Kohberger, the only suspect in the case.
Under Brady law, investigators are responsible for disclosing exculpatory information to defence counsel. Meanwhile, Giglio material conveys information that could potentially indicate that a witness is not credible, according to the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.
The scope of the list and the role of the officer in the murder investigation were not immediately clear. The evidence mentioned in the recent filing was submitted in camera to the court on 24 March, but its content remains sealed at the request of prosecutors.
Mr Kohberger is set to appear in court on 26 June for a preliminary hearing. He has not entered a plea but said earlier this year through a public defender that he “was eager to be exonerated.”
Two warrants made public last month and obtained by The Independent show that investigators collected a Glock .40 calibre gun, empty gun magazines, a knife, a pocket knife, black face masks, black gloves, electronic devices, and more clothing items from the home of Mr Kohberger’s parents in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested.
Mr Kohberger’s family home was raided on the same day as another search at his apartment in Pullman, Washington, which was a 15-minute drive from the crime scene in Moscow.
The warrant from the Washington search was made public in January, revealing investigators seized a “collection of dark red” spotting and a pillow with a “reddish/brown stain” at Mr Kohberger’s Pullman apartment. A Fire TV stick and possible animal hair strands were also taken by law enforcement.
