Convicted murderer Plumley denied freedom from prison

Convicted killer Joseph Plumley has been denied parole for the 1983 Naples shooting deaths of Jim Moran, 41, and Moran’s stepdaughter, Anna, 17, who was Plumley’s estranged wife.

Plumley, 50, on Oct. 20 appeared before the parole board in Boise after serving the minimum of his 25-year-to-life sentence at Idaho State Peniten-tiary. He cannot apply for parole a-gain until October 2018.

Plumley was convicted of first-degree murder for Jim Moran’s death and manslaughter for the death of Anna Moran, whose 5-month-old son was found unharmed next to his mother’s lifeless body.

The killings remain clear in the mind of Boundary County Commissioner Ron Smith, who was the sheriff at the time. Smith was among the first to arrive at the Moran home off Highway 95 between Naples and McArthur Lake.

“That is good judgment on someone’s part down there,” Smith said in reaction to the parole board’s decision. “My feelings are the same. As heinous as that crime was, he doesn’t deserve to ever set foot on the streets again.”

According to court records, on Aug. 18, 1983, Jim Moran heard gunshots outside his home. When Moran stepped outside, Plumley shot and killed him. Police responded and also found Plumley’s wife shot to death.

Police began their search for Plumley at daylight. He was arrested nearby the next day and confessed.

Anna Moran had just filed for divorce after Plumley learned the baby they had together wasn’t his, according to past editions of The Herald.

During the trial, Plumley repeated his confession.

According to an article that ran in The Herald at the time, Plumley blamed the initial shots on Jim Moran.

“Jim fired, I fired and Anna was hit,” he told the court. “I was pumping lead.”