Hearings vacated in quadruple murder case

WALLACE –– Both the preliminary conference and preliminary hearing were vacated earlier this week in the case of the accused murderer Majorjon Kaylor.

A written waiver was filed by the defense on August 14, resulting in the vacation of the hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday. The reason for this written waiver could not be explained by defense counsel due to a gag order that has been in place concerning the matter since early June.

Kaylor, 31, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in the shooting deaths of Kenneth Guardipee, 65, Kenna Guardipee, 41, Devin Smith, 18, and Aiken Smith, 16 following a dispute that took place on June 18, of this year.

Within the gag order, Magistrate Judge Keisha Oxendine 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."

Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Allen filed a motion on June 21, that stated that the State would not be seeking the death penalty for the killings. However, each charge does carry a potential maximum life sentence if found guilty.

In June, during Kaylor’s initial appearance in court, Allen spoke to the graphic nature of the crime, as well as pointed out that Kaylor already admitted to the crime – which included the murder of a child.

“Idaho code does not contemplate a more significant offense,” Allen said. “When we look at the actual facts of this case Judge, we see a crime that was committed in a relatively horrific manner in regard to the nature of the allegations and the manner in which it was carried out and the method that was utilized by the defendant during the course of his actions. Admissions were ultimately made to the offenses charged.”

Despite his admission to the crimes while at the crime scene, Kaylor has not had the opportunity to enter a plea for any of the charges he faces.

Kaylor’s next scheduled court appearance is September 13, 2023, at 10 a.m., when he will face District Judge Barbara Duggan for his arraignment.

EDITOR’S NOTE – The story has been corrected to reflect accurate information as well as provide clarification on some of the steps of the legal process.