Majorjon Kaylor appears in court (screengrab via KTVU). Inset: Kaylor’s mug shot (via Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office).
A 32-year-old man in Idaho will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars after admitting that he broke into his neighbor’s home and massacred all four members of the family — including two teenagers — on Father’s Day earlier this year to “execute vengeance.”
Majorjon Kaylor on Monday formally pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree murder in the slayings of Kenneth Guardipee, 65; his daughter, Kenna Guardipee, 41; and her two children, Devin Smith, 18, and Aiken Smith, 16, court documents reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Kaylor claimed that he had “snapped” after the 18-year-old victim exposed himself to Kaylor’s wife and young daughter, leading him to go on the violent rampage.
Kaylor had originally been charged with four counts of first-degree murder plus an additional count of felony burglary over the horrific mass shooting. As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to reduce the murder charges from first-degree to second-degree and dismissed the burglary charge.
According to the plea deal, the parties involved in the case, as well as the victims’ surviving family members, reached the aforementioned agreement after sitting down with a senior district judge who mediated the discussions.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, deputies with the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office at about 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, June 18, responded to a 911 call reporting that multiple people had been shot and killed inside a residence located in the 500 block of West Brown Avenue in Kellogg, Idaho, which is about 50 miles from the state’s western border with Washington.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they took a 31-year-old man who was “believed to be connected to the deaths” — later identified as Kaylor — into custody and later charged him with the four murders.
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Investigators said that the shooting “happened after a dispute between neighbors occurred.” The four victims all lived in the lower apartment of a duplex while Kaylor and his family lived in the upstairs apartment. The families had only shared the space for a few weeks prior to the deadly incident.
According to a copy of the probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, the massacre occurred less than a week after Kaylor and his family filed a report accusing Devin Smith of indecent exposure. In the police incident report, Kaylor’s wife said that Devin Smith on June 13 stood fully naked in his ground-level bedroom window and masturbated in front of her and her young daughter while they were playing outside.
“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 after the incident. “I stand by what my officer did, and he did everything he could at the time. Nobody could have foreseen anything like this.”
Following Kaylor’s arrest, authorities say he confessed to killing the four family members. He explained he tried to speak with Kenna Guardipee and her father about the teen allegedly exposing himself, but became angry when they did not appear to take the issue seriously.
Kaylor said that he finally just “snapped” and “lost it,” and then he “did something about it.” The indictment stated that all four slayings were “to execute vengeance.”
The bodies of the Guardipees were found just outside the rear entrance of the home while the Smith brothers were located inside the home. Each of the victims suffered a gunshot wound to the head with a .45 caliber handgun that authorities say they recovered from the scene.
Kaylor is currently scheduled to appear for his sentencing hearing on March 25, 2024.
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