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The two roommates who were in the same house where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death are breaking their silence since the horrific attacks three weeks ago, Fox News reports.
Investigators believe that the victims – 21-year-old Madison Mogen, 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin and 20-year-old Xana Kernodle – were killed between 3 and 4 a.m. on November 13 at their off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho.
Two of the victims were found on the second floor, and another two were found on the third floor of the house.
Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, two roommates who were on the first floor, were not targeted by the assailant and police say they do not believe Mortensen and Funke had anything to do with the killings.
During a memorial service on Friday in Post Falls, Idaho, a youth pastor by the name of Chris read letters from Mortensen and Funke, according to Fox News.
“To Xana and Ethan: the two best friends but perfect pair together,” Mortensen wrote in the letter, according to Fox News. “They had this unstoppable, loving relationship. They’d both look at each other with so much love. Everyone knew they were the perfect duo. They both had this fun, passionate, crazy but good energy. They both were the kind of people who cared about everyone and would help anyone.”
The pastor continued: “Xana was the life of the party. If she was there, it was going to be great. But Xana was so much more than a girl who could just have fun. She was strong, intelligent, hardworking and a beautiful person,” Mortensen wrote, according to Fox News.
Mortensen recounted a tough math class that she and Xana were taking and how Xana inspired her to give it her all.
“The amount of effort and hard work she put into that class was the only reason I tried to pass it,” Mortensen wrote, according to Fox News. “She would constantly uplift me and tell me I could do it.”
Mortensen said Goncalves and Mogen were “an inseparable duo” who were best friends and had a relationship like sisters.
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“Maddie and Kaylee were like second moms to me. They taught me a lot on how to be a responsible adult but also how to live life happy. They changed the way I look at life and how to enjoy life to the fullest,” Mortensen wrote, according to Fox News.
Funke said Mogen was her “big” in the Pi Beta Phi sorority and took that role to heart, the Idaho Statesman reports.
“You always told me that everything happens for a reason, but I’m having a really hard time trying to understand the reason for this,” Funke wrote, according to the newspaper.
Funke added that she wished she could give the deceased roommates “one last hug” and share one last time how much she loved them.
Police are continuing to investigate the stabbings and returned to the crime scene as recently as Saturday. Authorities have not identified any suspects yet.
To report information about the case, call 208-883-7180 or email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.
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[Featured image: Left, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle; Top right: Kaylee Goncalves; Bottom right: Madison Mogen/Instagram]
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