Moscow, Idaho — Nearly three years after their son was taken from them in an act of senseless violence, Jim and Stacy Chapin say they can finally breathe.

For the parents of 20-year-old Ethan Chapin — one of four University of Idaho students murdered in their off-campus home on November 13, 2022 — the plea deal accepted by Bryan Kohberger earlier this month brought more than just legal finality. It brought peace.

“If I could physically do a handstand, I’d probably do one,” said Jim Chapin in a recent sit-down interview. “Because I am so ready… It’s been almost 2½ years. It’s over.”

Kohberger, a former criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and agreed to spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole. The Chapins were in the courtroom in Boise on July 2 when Kohberger entered his plea — a moment they described as “cold and calculated,” yet strangely liberating.

“There was no remorse,” said Stacy Chapin. “It was like an automated phone message. Just… nothing.”

A Son Remembered

Ethan Chapin wasn’t just a victim. He was a triplet, a freshman studying recreation and sports management, and, as his parents fondly joked, a young man who majored in “Bud Light Lime and Taco Bell.”

“He just had this joy,” Stacy said. “He could blow into any room and make it lighter. His Jeep is still here. His things are still here. He’s still here.”

Ethan was spending the night at the King Road house where his girlfriend Xana Kernodle lived with housemates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves — all three were also murdered that night. Two other roommates survived, one of whom later described seeing the masked intruder walk past her door.

Kohberger’s guilty plea means there will be no public trial, no witness stand for grieving siblings Maizie and Hunter — Ethan’s fellow triplets — and no courtroom spectacle to re-examine the trauma they’ve all worked so hard to move past.

“I hated the idea of them testifying,” said Stacy. “It would’ve meant watching footage of Ethan’s childhood… living through that grief again.”

A Deal, and a Decision

The plea deal, while controversial to some of the other victims’ families, offered the Chapins what no sentence could truly provide: a chance to move on.

“Our initial reaction was ‘an eye for an eye,’” Stacy admitted. “But after we talked to the prosecutors, we understood: this was a better deal.”

Unlike a death penalty case, which could have dragged on for decades with appeals and hearings, Kohberger’s guilty plea sealed his fate permanently. There will be no retrial, no chance of parole, no need for survivors to relive the horror.

“He’s off the streets. He can’t hurt any more kids,” said Jim. “That’s all I care about.”

The Chapins won’t attend the formal sentencing. For them, the true end came when Kohberger uttered the word “guilty.”

“That was it,” Jim said. “That was the moment we got our closure.”

Grief, Grit, and a Foundation for the Future

The road to that closure has not been easy.

“Crying in your coffee every morning,” is how Stacy described the early days after Ethan’s death. But step by step — sometimes literally — the couple began to emerge from the darkness.

“You hike your demons out,” Stacy said, referring to the treadmill she now uses daily as part of her healing.

In Ethan’s honor, they created Ethan’s Smile, a foundation that has awarded scholarships to over 80 students — a legacy of joy and opportunity built from unimaginable grief.

Recently, Maizie and Hunter graduated from the University of Idaho, walking across the stage with Ethan in their hearts and their parents cheering in the stands.

Their participation in the Prime Video docuseries One Night in Idaho: The College Murders was intentional, the Chapins said.

“We got to control the narrative when it came to Ethan,” said Stacy. “We wanted the world to see our Ethan — not the crime scene photos, not the headlines. Just the kid who lit up a room.”

Moving On, Without Letting Go

While the plea agreement may not satisfy everyone affected by the tragedy, for the Chapins, it offered something rare: emotional closure.

“We’ll always carry him,” Jim said. “But we’re not stuck anymore.”

What remains is love — and the echo of Ethan’s laughter in a home that still feels his presence.

“He’s here,” Stacy said. “And he always will be.”