Idaho man charged with 4 counts of murder in shooting deaths of his neighbors, including two teens

KELLOGG, Idaho (AP) — A northern Idaho man has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary after prosecutors said he went to a neighbor’s home and shot and killed the family there, including two teens.

Majorjon Kaylor, 31, of Kellogg, was arrested Sunday night shortly after the shooting in the small mining community.

Killed were Kenneth Guardipee, 65; his daughter Kenna Guardipee, 41; and her sons 18-year-old Devin Smith and 16-year-old Aiken Smith. The family lived in the same multi-home building as Kaylor.

If convicted, Kaylor could face the death penalty. He is being held without bond and has not yet entered a plea.

Few details have been released about the shooting, and authorities have not said what they believe Kaylor’s motive may have been.

But there had been a recent conflict between the families, police said: A week before the shootings, Kaylor’s family called police to complain that 18-year-old Devin Smith was standing in front of his bedroom window, masturbating in view of Kaylor’s young daughters who were playing outside. Smith’s family lived in the bottom unit of the duplex, and Kaylor’s family lived in the top unit.

“We responded to the call, investigated the call, and the report was done that day and submitted to the prosecutor’s office for charges,” Kellogg Police Chief Paul Twidt said. “I stand by what my officer did, and he did everything he could at the time. Nobody could have foreseen anything like this.”

The police department recommended that Smith be charged with indecent exposure, a misdemeanor, Twidt said, and the prosecutor’s office told the officer the charge would be filed. There was no record of the charge in the online court system on Tuesday, however, which could mean that Smith had not yet been served with the formal charges before he died, or that the case had not yet been made public for another reason.

During Kaylor’s initial court appearance, prosecuting attorney Benjamin Allen said the crime was “relatively horrific” and noted that one of the victims was a child. He also said Kaylor admitted the killings when he was interviewed by police.

“Admissions were ultimately made to the offenses charged,” Allen told Shoshone County Magistrate Judge Keisha Oxendine during Tuesday’s court proceeding.

“We see a crime which was committed in a relatively horrific manner in regards to the nature of the allegations, the manner in which it was carried out, and the method in which was utilized by the defendant in the course of his actions,” Allen said.

The Shoshone County dispatch center received a 911 call around 7:20 p.m. Sunday indicating that multiple people had been killed. Law enforcement officers found four people dead of gunshot wounds, and they detained Kaylor.

“This is a tragic situation that will affect the Kellogg community. Detectives continue working to establish a timeline and what led to the shooting,” Lt. Paul Berger, a detective with the Idaho State Police, said in a news release on Monday.

The charging documents allege the shootings of the two oldest victims were “premeditated and/or to execute vengeance.” The other killings were allegedly, “premeditated, to executive vengeance, and/or committed in the perpetration of burglary,” according to the charging documents. Under Idaho law, it is considered burglary to enter a house, room or apartment with the intent to commit a felony such as murder.

A preliminary hearing in the case has been set for July 3.