MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — The story of the 4 college students killed in Moscow, Idaho, hits home in Western Washington.
Ethan Chapin, one of the students killed, grew up in Skagit County before attending the University of Idaho.
The Chapin family did move away from the area several years ago, but that doesn’t mean people have forgotten who the family was prior to the tragedy.
“I just remember those 3 little triplets running around in their yard up there,” Lisa Anderson, a former neighbor of the Chapins, said.
Anderson says she also remembers seeing the Chapin triplets getting on and off the school bus.
She of course isn’t the only former neighbor KIRO7 spoke with that had nothing but nice things to say about Chapin family and Ethan.
“And they are an excellent family. They were all hard working, the kids,” Bonnie Thompson, another previous neighbor, said.
Thompson says what happened to Ethan nearly three years ago still weighs incredibly heavy not only for her neighborhood, but really all of Mount Vernon and Skagit County.
“It’s a very sad thing that’s happened to a good family,” Thompson said.
Many people in the county both on and off the record shared some strong feelings about the plea deal reached with suspected murderer Bryan Kohberger. Some hope the plea deal will help give the family closure, while others feel it isn’t enough.
“No, I don’t agree with that at all. He killed all of those kids,” Anderson said.
Although there are mixed reactions about this plea deal, those who know and remember the Chapin family tell KIRO7 they will always have their backs.
“They know the community up here is with them,” Thompson said.
“And the whole neighborhood will always remember those kids,” Anderson said.
KIRO7 has reached out to the Chapin family for comment about the plea deal and is still waiting for a response.
©2025 Cox Media Group
