Imagine any parent waking up to find out their daughter and her best friend were murdered. It’s a shock for any loving and caring parent. What’s more shocking, is that the killer was a student with a criminology doctorate themselves. In November, at the University of Idaho, two best friends and a couple were killed in an off-campus home. The story captivated the media’s attention, but what the news organizations did not consider, is that the parents of the victims were going through the worst day of their lives. 

Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Morgan had been best friends for a longtime. They did everything together. They had been living together until Kaylee decided to move out. However, she wanted to see Madison and had a new Range Rover she wanted to show off. On top of that, she had plans to attend a party at her friend’s apartment. What she didn’t know was that she wasn’t going to leave the party that night. It was at the apartment where a graduate student at a nearby university, named Bryan Kohberger, broke in and murdered her and her best friend. He didn’t stop there though, he then went and killed two more people, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle. Bryan was charged with first degree murder and could even receive the penalty of death.

Many can only imagine what it’s like to lose someone that you love. This horrific story impacted me because my best friend and I do everything together. When I first heard about it, all I could think about was what if that was us?

Moreover, this case demonstrates the harmful impact that social media can have. As the details of the case went viral, the parents of victims were not able to fully grieve independently. Although this was a tragic event, it’s comforting to see how a community can come together and a reminder that we should all should appreciate the precious time we have with friends and family.