One year after U of I murders, parents and students statewide still grieving

MOSCOW (KIVI) – It’s a day no one in the Moscow community saw coming and a year later, students and family statewide continue to grieve the unexpected murders of four University of Idaho students.

“There’s always that somber feeling hanging over the town and I don’t know if that will ever change,” said Ember Hines, mother of a University of Idaho student.

Ember Hines, who lives in Emmett, remembers when she first heard about the tragic deaths and seeing the rural Palouse town shown across the country was a surreal experience.

“Like wait a minute now this is on every news channel like it was so odd that you just couldn’t even wrap your head around it,” said Hines.

Hines’ son is a junior at U of I and is still grieving the loss of those four students, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalvez. The four students were fatally stabbed in their off-campus home last fall on November 13. Two months later — the arrest of Bryan Kohberger who still awaits trial, and despite the distance, Vandals in the Treasure Valley are also still dealing with the deaths.

“I find myself thinking of their parents often and having to hear that your child at that young age went through something so terrible is just a heartbreaker,” said Julia Chuckovich, a law student at U of I.

Julia Chuckovich is a law student and says that the phrase vandals strong has never been more prevalent.

“We are all a community, and we are in this together and we want to make sure that they feel our love from all the way across the state as they face this really hard day,” Chuckovich said.