The neighbors of four slain University of Idaho students say that the home where the murders took place was busy, loud, and otherwise known as a party house.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Ethan Chapin. 20; and Xana Kernodle, 20, were found stabbed to death in the rented off-campus home near the school, off of King Road on November 13. Police said they were killed sometime between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.
Some neighbors, according to Fox News, who were still in town on Monday while others left for the Thanksgiving holiday, clearly remembered the night of the murders, including law student Jeremy Reagan. Reagan told Fox News Digital that his home is so close to the crime scene that he “could throw a baseball from my front door to the house.”
“I went to bed early that night, and then I woke up to a bunch of normal and then a couple of hours later we got a message and there was a bunch of police here,” Reagan said. “And then that was the end of normalcy for the past week or so here.”
Moscow Police Chief James Fry said that Chapin and Kernodle had been at an on-campus party earlier in the evening, while Mogen and Goncalves were at a bar downtown before returning home sometime after 1:45 a.m. Sunday. Their two female roommates were at home at the time, sleeping, police said.
“I was at work and the only thing I heard about was like the ‘unconscious person,’” another neighbor, Heather Tetwiler, reportedly said. “And then, I didn’t realize it had more severity till I got home, and I could hear the clicking of the cameras.”
“It’s just been crazy, just how quiet it’s been. They always had a little gathering, so they always have music going.”
There was no sign of forced entry.
Reagan added that the victims’ home was a “party house” with loud gathers.
“There were parties that were kind of loud,” Reagan said. “As I would take my dog in and out to go to the bathroom, I would just be walking by, I would look up and I would see people in the windows almost every night, probably four or five nights a week. There were a lot of people that went into and out of that house pretty frequently.”
Fry added that the other roommates who were home were not injured and that whatever happened inside was not a hostage situation. Police now say the roommates are not considered suspects.
Local, state and federal authorities are continuing to investigate and collect evidence from the scene. Colonel Kedrick Wills, director of the Idaho State Police, said all resources are being brought in to identify those responsible for the murders.
“We want to do everything we can to make sure this is done correctly and that the people that are responsible for this are brought to justice,” Wills told reporters.
Fry urged anyone with information to call a tip line at 208-883-7180.
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[Featured image: Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves (left); Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle;/Instagram]
