‘Senseless acts of violence’

As Moscow grapples with what the city mayor called “senseless acts of violence” that left four University of Idaho students dead, only a limited amount of details have been released about the case.

The Moscow Police Department is investigating the alleged homicide after law enforcement discovered the victims Sunday in a residence on King Road. There were no suspects in custody as of Monday afternoon.

According to a UI news release, the victims were Ethan Chapin, a freshman from Mount Vernon, Wash., and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity who was majoring in recreation, sport and tourism management in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences; Xana Kernodle, a junior from Post Falls majoring in marketing in the College of Business and Economics and a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority; Madison Mogen, a senior from Coeur d’Alene majoring in marketing in the College of Business and Economics; and Kaylee Goncalves, a senior from Rathdrum, Idaho, who was majoring in general studies in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. The next of kin of all four students have been notified, according to the news release.

Investigators are asking anyone with information related to this incident to contact the Moscow Police at (208) 882-2677.

“The Moscow Police does not believe there is an ongoing community risk based on information gathered during the preliminary investigation,” the department said in a Monday news release.

Moscow Mayor Art Bettge released a statement saying there is only a limited amount of information that police can share about the case “without jeopardizing the integrity of the investigation.”

“This tragedy serves as a sobering reminder that senseless acts of violence can occur anywhere, at any time, and we are not immune from such events here in our own community,” Bettge said in his statement. “Today, we grieve for those who were lost and those they leave behind. Let us come together in support of each other, and be there for each other, as we mourn as a community.”

In a Monday interview with the New York Times, Bettge labeled the incident as a “crime of passion.” In the same article, Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt said none of the victims are suspected of carrying out the attack.

UI President Scott Green also released a statement informing students and staff of counseling services the university can provide to those affected by this tragedy.

“Words cannot adequately describe the light these students brought to this world or ease the depth of suffering we feel at their passing under these tragic circumstances,” Green said.

UI canceled classes Monday to honor those who died, Green said. The Moscow School District held classes as planned Monday, “with the assurance of the Moscow Police Department,” Superintendent Greg Bailey said in an email.

Lucca Musick and Decker Rilenge live in an apartment building next to the residence where the four students were found.

They were cleaning their apartment Sunday when a friend messaged Rilenge and told them about the reported homicide. Musick and Rilenge looked out the window and saw police cars, along with a group of women crying while draped in emergency blankets.

“You don’t think something like that’s going to happen here,” Rilenge said.

Musick said they told a police officer they could hear loud music Saturday night, indicating there was a party going on in the neighborhood. They said parties are a regular occurrence in that area.

Rilenge said they did not hear any screaming or gunshots that night.

Musick said given Moscow’s reputation as a safe city, what happened during the weekend was “such a shock.”

“It’s quite surreal, I would say, to have something happen like that,” Musick said.

Idaho State Board of Education President Kurt Liebich called the incident “absolutely devastating.”

“On behalf of the Idaho State Board of Education and the Board of Regents of the University of Idaho, I offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the students who were murdered,” Liebich said.

Moscow is not immune from tragic acts of violence. These events all took place in the last two decades:

In 2015, John Lee shot and killed his adoptive mother, 61-year-old Terri Grzebielski; his landlord, David Trail, 76; and Moscow Arby’s manager Belinda Niebuhr, 47. He also shot and wounded Michael Chin, 40, of Seattle.

In 2011, a former University of Idaho professor Ernesto Bustamante shot and killed Katy Benoit, a former student, before shooting and killing himself.

In 2007, Jason Hamilton shot and killed three people in a rampage that ended at the First Presbyterian Church in Moscow. Crystal Hamilton, his wife, Moscow Police Officer Lee Newbill, 48, and church caretaker Paul Bauer, 62, were killed. Three others were wounded before the gunman killed himself.

In 2004, University of Idaho football player Eric McMillan was killed by two Tacoma brothers in a case of mistaken identity.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.