Majorjon Kaylor: Idaho man likely to spend life in prison after confessing to killing neighbor's family

KELLOGG, IDAHO: An Idaho man is likely to be sentenced to life after he confessed to breaking into his neighbor's home and murdering all four members of his family, including a couple of teenagers, on Father's Day earlier this year to 'execute vengeance.'

On Monday, December 18, Majorjon Kaylor 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, Spokesman reports. 

Why did Majorjon Kaylor kill his neighbor's family?

The defendant claimed that he had 'snapped' after Devin 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.

The prosecutors, as a part of the deal, agreed to reduce the murder charges from first-degree to second-degree and dismissed the burglary charge. As per 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.

What happened on the day of the incident?

On June 18, the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 call at about 7.20 pm 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.

The first responders upon arriving at the scene 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.

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.

Majorjon Kaylor already informed authorities about Devon Smith's filthy act

According to a copy of the probable cause affidavit, 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, adding “I stand by what my officer did, and he did everything he could at the time. Nobody could have foreseen anything like this.”

Devon Smith's family did not take the issue seriously 

After Kaylor's arrest, authorities said that 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 lost his cool 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.' 

How did Majorjon Kaylor commit the murders?

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.