Sentencing scheduled in quadruple homicide

WALLACE — Majorjon Kaylor pleaded guilty Monday to four counts of second-degree murder during a change of plea hearing at Shoshone County Courthouse.

Kaylor pleaded not guilty in September to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. The charges stemmed from a quadruple homicide that took place in Kellogg on June 1. He was accused of killing Kenneth Guardipee, 65, Kenna Guardipee, 41, Devin Smith, 18, and Aiken Smith, 16.

Last month, District Judge Barbara Duggan ordered that the matter go to mediation after both the prosecution and Kaylor’s defense agreed that it would be in the best interests of “justice and judicial efficiency” that the case attempt to seek a resolution outside the courtroom. 

The mediation, adjudicated by retired District Judge Jay Gaskill, stipulated that all four counts of first-degree murder be reduced to second-degree and that the felony burglary charge be dropped. This was agreed to by the prosecution, the defense, and also by family members of the victims — eight of whom signed off on the agreement. 

As part of the agreement, the state, victims and defense will be able to argue and produce statements during Kaylor’s sentencing, which is scheduled for March 25. The state also retained the right to potentially pursue charges against others who may have been culpable in the slayings. 

Court records, including an affidavit completed in June by police detailing the circumstances of Kaylor's arrest, report Kaylor returned home from work on Father's Day, got out of his vehicle and walked around the Brown Street duplex where Kaylor and the victims lived. 

Kaylor was captured by surveillance cameras walking around the parking lot of Mountain Valley of Cascadia, where victim Kenna Guardipee worked, and then “ducking behind a trailer that was parked outside of the residence while appearing to view the shared backyard space.” 

Once he decided to enter his home, he went to the backyard where the fatal confrontation began. 

Kaylor was upset with the victims, who lived in the ground floor residence of the duplex, because of recent actions of one of the victims, Devin Smith, and that Smith's mother, Kenna Guardipee and grandfather, Kenneth Guardipee, weren’t taking his concerns seriously enough. 

Kaylor, his wife, Kaylie, and their children lived on the second floor of the duplex.

The Kaylors had reportedly seen Smith masturbating in his window while their children were outside playing in the backyard a few days before the shootings. 

Kellogg Police were called regarding the initial incident, and according to Chief Paul Twidt, a request for a misdemeanor indecent exposure charge was submitted to the Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on June 16, two days before the shootings.

According to the police affidavit, Kaylor armed himself prior to exiting his vehicle and once the argument began, he reportedly “snapped” and opened fire on the Guardipees in the backyard before breaking into the first-floor residence and carrying out the final two killings.

Police said Kaylor admitted to the crimes when they arrived at the scene, but concerns were raised by the defense because Kaylor provided this admission before being read his Miranda rights. 

During the Idaho State Police investigation, the handgun was discovered in the truck, as well as an empty magazine. According to law enforcement, due to the magazine capacity and empty shell casings found at the crime scene, Kaylor would have had to deliberately change magazines to carry out the killings. The medical examiner’s report indicated that various wounds observed on the victims during their examinations appear to support an “execution-style” method. 

A non-dissemination order, or gag order was put in place in early July by Magistrate Judge Keisha Oxendine, who forbade both the prosecution and defense attorneys from making statements that "will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing or otherwise influencing the outcome of the case."

A motion to intervene in the gag order was filed by various media outlets but was denied by Judge Duggan. Now, although the case is moving to sentencing, the gag order remains in effect because the parties will still be arguing for an appropriate sentence. 

Each count of second-degree murder comes with a minimum 10-year prison sentence, but Kaylor could face life in prison with the possibility of parole.