INTERVIEW WITH XANA'S MOM
2nd December.
Banfield - Can I just ask you off the bat, how you are getting by in this terribly sorrowful time?.
Mom - Not very easily, not good. I mean, I don't know what to say to that.
Banfield - I can't even imagine the pain that you and your family are going through. Have the police been helpful to you, C. to understand some of the things they can and can't say?.
Mom - You know, honestly, no. Honestly no. They haven't said anything. I learn more on the news and on TV than they have said to me.
Banfield - Have you had a chance to talk with some of the other parents of the other three kids who were there that night and share information amongst yourselves?.
Mom - Not really, honestly. I've just been dealing with my family and we've just been absorbing this shock.
Banfield - Can you tell me C. what you do know about this terrible night?.
Mom - What I do know is not nearly enough. We need more answers. There is so much more that can be done, that has not been done and I just know that there's GPS, NASA (?
) can find out who went into that home that night. I know that. Why hasn't that been looked into?. Why hasn't that been accessed?.
Banfield - Can I ask you, there is a mysterious sort of 4 hour and 45 minute block of time that's unaccounted for by the police timeline. The police say that your daughter Xana and her boyfriend Ethan were at the Sigma Chi house from 8 until 9:00 pm., but then they don't have any information on where they were from 9:00 pm. till 1:45 am. Do you know anything about that from either your information from the police or Ethan's family or anybody.
Mom - I may be candid in saying this, but I think they were at a bar.
Banfield - And where do you get that information from?. Did someone tell you that they'd gone from the Sigma Chi house to a bar before they ended up home?.
Mom - That's what her father conveyed to me that he (
inaudible) at the bar that night, so yeah. I mean, that's what college kids do on a weekend, so.
Banfield - But you don't know for sure that they left the Sigma Chi house, went to a bar..
Mom - I don't know, sorry.
Banfield - And have the police asked you any questions about where Xana might have been?, Or if she texted you?, Or if she'd communicated with any family members in that period of time?.
Mom - No, no answers whatsoever, whatsoever, really. I asked them, I asked the investigators when they came and spoke to me. They were not able to offer me any answers. None.
Banfield - Can I ask you - Xana's sister J. has put such a beautiful tribute to Xana on her instagram and I wonder if she has any additional information, just perhaps from being able to access her sister's social media or her phone?. Has J. been able to ascertain any other details of what happened that night or where Xana and Ethan were that night?.
Mom - No, I'm not going to speak for J. You would have to ask her that yourself and she's going through it right now without her sister and I'm sure if she had any answers or any information, she's already conveyed that to the investigators?.
Banfield - May I ask you if you can confirm that Xana's room was on the second floor of the house?.
Mom - Yes, I can confirm that. I just had a question about the other two roommates who were there on the first floor and I just wonder, wasn't something heard, the surviving roommates that were there, they had to have heard something. They had to have.. the dog, something.
Banfield - I can help you with that, somewhat. There is information from a prior tenant who lived on the first floor, who said when he lived there in 2019 he moved out. He said he could never hear anything on the second or third floor. If the television was playing very loudly on the second floor, he might hear it from the first floor. And I don't know if that helps you to understand.
Mom - The dog heard it and the dog had to have been barking, you know.
Banfield - I have information there as well. Our Brian Entin spoke with the parents of Kaylee Gonsalves and they have actually referred to that and Brian's going to play that interview in a moment. But, B and D., on that first floor, may not have been able to hear anything, according to the prior tenant who said it was extremely difficult to hear because of the construction of that house, but I do want to ask you if I can C., was your daughter Xana's room on the right side of the house if you're looking from the parking lot or on the left side across from the kitchen?.
Mom - I can't answer that. I can't answer that because I never went there yet, so I don't know.
Banfield - But you know she was on the second floor. Do you know if she looked out at the front of the house or the back of the house?.
Mom - I believe in the front, but I can't confirm. Like I said, I haven't been down to visit yet. I tried to go last month but she was in class while I was down there.
Banfield - Our viewers are looking at the front of the house right now and the window that I'm referring to is on the second storey in the front of the house, and that's where we are triangulating that. Perhaps that's where Xana and Ethan were that night.
I do want to ask you if you know whether or not Xana had a lock on her bedroom door?.
Mom - I believe she did, yes.
Banfield - Do you know if it was a lock that was a code that you would punch in on the bedroom door?. The prior tenant who used to live there said that every one of the doors in that home, all six bedrooms, were rented separately like apartments and they all had coded locks. But lots of social media pictures have shown at least one of the locks on the door across from the kitchen on the second floor, it didn't appear to have a coded lock, but do you think that Xana's room had a coded lock?.
Mom - I believe it did. Her father mentioned to me that he had just went and replaced the lock the weekend before.
Banfield - You said her father mentioned to you that they had replaced the lock?.
Mom - Yes. that he had.. or he had fixed it or something, but yeah he said he had fixed it the week before just to make sure it was still..
Banfield - So, that's the lock on her own bedroom door, not the lock to the outside of the house?. That's her own bedrom door lock?.
Mom - (
inaudible) referring to, I'm not sure (
inaudible) I just remember him telling me that when he was (
inaudible).
Banfield - But you're talking about J., right?. J. K. Xana's dad?.
Mom - Yes, absolutely yes.
Banfield - And he had been there just a couple weeks before working on a lock, but you're not sure what door?.
Mom - Just the weekend before and he mentioned meeting Ethan's parents and went to check on Xana and it was dad week for WSU for J., so he was over there and they're pretty close schools (
inaudible) fairly short distance away from each other.
Banfield - Did Xana's car have Arizona plates?.
Mom - I can't answer that. I don't know.
Banfield - She used to live in Arizona though right?.
Mom - I believe she got the car in Arizona so that's probably likely, yes.
Banfield - Do you know what kind of car she was driving?.
Mom - I don't, I don't.
Banfield - You mentioned about the roommates, the surviving roommates - Have you had any opportunity to contact them?. Do you or J. or Xana's sister J., do you have their contact information?. Are you able to call them to talk to them?.
Mom - J. and J. are in contact with them, yes. They were all at the memorial today, yeah.
Banfield - And what did those girls, B. and D. say to Xana's dad and her sister about that morning when they woke up and came upstairs?. What did they tell J. and J?.
Mom - I don't know, you would have to ask them that. I'm not going to speak for anybody else, I'm sorry.
Banfield - Do you know C. if D. and B. came upstairs and were trying to wake Xana?, because they were trying to wake one of their roommates. Do you know if it was your daughter they were trying to wake?.
Mom - I don't have that answer either, I'm sorry.
Banfield - It's okay and did they say that they could not get beyond a locked door and that's why they had no idea what was on the other side of the bedroom door and called in an unconscious person?.
Mom - I believe that's right.
Banfield - What do you know about that?.
Mom - That they called in an unconscious person, I know that, but beyond that, I don't know.
Banfield - So, it's hard for you to understand as well why, if there was such a terrible crime that had been committed that the roommates might not have seen the evidence of that crime.
Mom - Absolutely, yes.
Banfield - Have they told you at all C., when you can retrieve your daughters things from that house?.
Mom - Not yet, no.
Banfield - I want to ask you if you can for us C. about Xana?. What would you like people to know about your daughter?. We've seen pictures and we've seen social media but you know her heart. What would you like everyone to know about her?.
Mom - If you knew Xana you knew what a light she was to everybody she came across. She was just such a positive influence on everybody around her. I honestly and I'm not saying this because I'm her mother and baised, it's just the truth. There is nothing negative you could say about her. She was just such a good soul and she cared, she deeply cared about her friends and her family. And, she would never hurt anybody, I don't understand, who would want to do anything to any of these kids. They were all great, great kids and they were all good, good friends, lifelong friends even, aside from Ethan, and Ethan was such a great kid too. I just... no parent should ever go through this, it's... they were good kids. I don't understand who would want to do this.
Banfield - Have you had a chance to speak with Ethan's parents?.
Mom - No, not yet.
Banfield - Are you going to have a chance to speak with them?.
Mom - I'm sure I will, yes.
Banfield - I do have another question and that is, what we're all trying to figure out what the police mean when they say they believe this was a targeted attack. They've gone back and forth about whether it was the kids inside the house or the house, and now they've really rested on the statement that they believe it's a targeted attack. They don't know if it's the kids or the home itself that was targeted, but do you have any thoughts, at all, about why that house might be targeted or why any of the five roommates might be targeted?.
Mom - I do not think it was the house that was targeted. I believe, wholeheartedly, that it was those kids who were targeted. They weren't just acquaintances, these kids were like best friends. They were pratically family. They were just tight knit. They were good friends. They were like family, they were around each other constantly. They did everything together. How could it not have been a planned thing, you know, how could it not have been targeted?.
Banfield - C. do you know anything about Kaylee moving out?. Do you know if she had already moved out of the house when this happened?. Or was she in the process of moving out, because she was graduating in the new year?.
Mom - Again, that's not a question for me. You may ask her family that. I'm not going to speak for her, I'm sorry.
Banfield - I think the reason I ask is because I'm just wondering if her room was vacant, if the furniture was gone?.
Mom - Yeah, I don't know, I'm sorry.
Banfield - Did Xana ever say anything about problems at the campus?. Maybe talk of a stalker?. There's been talk that maybe Kaylee had a stalker. Her dad said that Kaylee had told him that she had a stalker or a problem with a stalker. The police haven't been able to run anything down, but did Xana ever say anything?.
Mom - Kaylee was an absolute beautiful, beautiful girl. It wouldn't surprise me if all of these beautiful kids, that we lost, had stalkers, okay?. They were all like rock stars on Instagram and all their social media. They were vibrate, outgoing kids. You can hardly be on social media anymore without gaining some kind of weird stalker. So, that wouldn't surprise me. I don't think that that's what it was though, I will be honest with you. I think it's closer than that. I think it's deeper than that. I think they have information that they're not giving us and it's real fishy, that's what I will say.
Banfield - When you say you think it goes deeper than that - What do you mean?.
Mom - I mean, I think it was somebody closer than a stalker and I don't know who. I'm not going to specify anything like that. I'm just going to say I think that it's somebody... and I think, possibly, they may have trusted.. that's the only thing I can think of, because how could such a thing like this happen?. So quickly, so quietly, without any answer. Unless it was somebody super close to them. You know what I mean?.
Banfield - Do you think the person who did this had been in that house before?.
Mom - I think they knew them. I think they may have been friends with them. I think it had to have been somebody close to them to have been able to get away with it like this, just without.. you know, it just doesn't make sense. None of this makes any sense. It had to have been somebody they trusted that was.. you know what I mean?. I mean, somebody that knew them well, somebody (inaudible). To kill 4 people so quickly without a trace?.
Banfield - C. I cannot tell you just how sorry I am for what you're going through and the parents of the other kids. I said it before, I'll say it again, it's unimaginable. Just know that there are hundreds of thousands of people across this country tonight who are feeling for you as well. You know in spirit you are not alone. There are a lot of people who care deeply for you and your family, and they want justice for your daughter.
Mom - I know, I know and I thank everyone so much for that. Xana's death will not be in vane. We are going to find who did this. I will not take my final breathe until this person is found and brought to justice for these kids. Not just my daughter but these kids and their families and their friends. We all deserve answers and the person should be brought to justice.
Banfield - I wish you and your family peace of mind and I hope that we can bring you answers soon. C. thank you for being with us tonight. Thank you for telling us your story tonight and we'll continue to highlighted Xana's story as well and her beautiful life. As you mentioned, it's very evident on Instagram and social media just how vibrant she was and how beautiful she was and she made her mark on this world while she was here. Thank you so much C. for being with us tonight.
Mom - Can I say one last thing?.
Banfield - Yes.
Mom - If there's someone out there - there is someone out there, I know there is that has answers. Please, please, we all beg you, please, don't be afraid, please just tell somebody. We deserve that much, please.
Banfield - I think you're absolutely right, someone out there knows something and anybody with any small detail even to come forward and tell the police what you know, it could be the smallest piece of the puzzle.
Mom - (
inaudible) I promise you it's something, because right now we have nothing.
Banfield - C. thank you for being with us. Maybe we can talk again as we all plod through this investigation and the developments. I'll repeat it, I do which you peace and serenity in this very difficult time.
Mom - Thank you, I appreciate that.
INTERVIEW WITH XANA'S DAD
18th November.
Reporter - Xana Kernodle was raised in Idaho but she spent time here, in the valley, since her dad moved to Avondale a few years ago. He describes her as fun, smart and strong willed and says it's impossible to imagine she was killed in the worst homicide police say they've ever seen in this small Idaho city.
Dad - She didn't seem to really worry about the drama stuff that much, she wasn't into that. She just liked having fun. Wouldn't worry about materialistic things. She was with friends all the time.
Reporter - Avondale father J.K. who was too distraught to be on camera, remembering the life of his daughter Xana, one of the victims of the brutal stabbing at the University of Idaho leaving 4 college roommates dead on Sunday.
Dad - I heard from her before we went out. I think midnight was the last time we talked with her and she was fine.
Reporter - The murders happened early Sunday morning, rocking the small town of Moscow, Idaho, which hasn't had a murder since 2015, according to state records.
Dad - I have no idea, it doesn't make sense.
Reporter - He says Anna was in constant communication with her family and nothing about that night seemed unusual.
Dad - The door locks with a number code every time you open it. Like, I had to go back around the house to get in the house because of the number code. So, they either knew that, or they just kind of went around and found the slider open.
Reporter - A father struggling to understand how this could have happened. Why Xana?.
Dad - They were just hanging out at home. Xana was hanging out at home with her boyfriend.
Reporter - 2 other female roommates, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Gonsalves were killed along with Xana's boyfriend Ethan Chapin, who J. loved.
Dad - Her and Ethan were together about a year, give or take some. When I went up there, I saw her just a week before that, she'd changed a lot. She had a life. She got to see what it was to have a boyfriend to live with and have a real life and she really, like, turned around and was being really responsible. Helping him out (
inaudible) studies and stuff. I was really impressed.
Reporter - J. says there's one thing that the autopsy shows for certain, Xana, a strong willed girl, fought her killer until the very end.
Dad - Bruises, you know, maybe occurred by the knife or whatever (
I could have sworn this part was longer when they first aired this interview).
She was tough kid. Whatever she wanted to do, she could do it.
