EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
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Imagine this.

You and your family are looking for a place to live. You spend hours on the internet looking up all of the available homes in your area. After some searching, you finally find a few that meet your standards. So over the next few weeks, you take time out of your busy schedule to tour these homes. And finally, you come across the perfect one. As soon as you step inside, you know that it's the house where you will raise your kids.

where you will create memories for the years to come. And luckily for you, after applying to live there, you get accepted. When moving day finally comes around, you couldn't be happier. And for the first few years, everything is going great. That is until a new family moves in next door. At the end of the day, you may be able to find the perfect house,

But it's the people living around you that can completely change everything. Maybe the neighbor across the street plays loud music at all hours of the night.

The neighbors to your left fight all the time. The man down the street will come knocking on your door if your grass is half an inch too high. Or maybe, like in our story for today, the 18-year-old boy living downstairs exposes his penis to your two young children. Scenarios like that can make your perfect home feel like a house of horrors.

And sometimes, neighborhood disputes can end in bloodshed, sending shockwaves through your tight-knit community. So this is the story of Major John Kaler. I'm Courtney Browen. And I'm Colin Browen. And you're listening to Murder in America. ♪♪

Kellogg, Idaho is a small city nestled in the Silver Valley of Shawnee County and surrounded by the Coeur d'Alene Mountains. The town, named after prospector Noah Kellogg in 1885, derived from a legend that Noah stumbled upon a rich galena with the help of his wandering donkey. Today, a local sign reads, "This is the town founded by a jackass and inhabited by his descendants."

In the early 20th century, the town was a booming mining hub, centered around the Bunker Hill Mine, which was, at the time, one of the world's leading producers of lead. At its peak, the town catered to over 6,000 residents. However, after the Bunker Hill Mine closure in 1981, the town was deserted. Thousands of people were out of work, and the threat of lead contamination made it a super fun site.

businesses closed and people left, leaving behind a shell of a once prosperous town. Today, Kellogg is home to over 2,000 residents and has reinvented itself as a resort town with the development of new restaurants, hotels, condos, shops, a water park, and a golf course. Each year, thousands of tourists flock to the Silver Mountain Resort,

a popular skiing and snowboarding destination, accessible by the world's longest single-cabin gondola from the city of Kellogg to the lodge on Kellogg Mountain. But on June 18, 2023, the quiet city would become known for something else, when it was thrust into the spotlight by a shocking crime where four people would lose their lives.

Major John Allen Kaler, born around 1991, was born and raised in Kellogg, Idaho. Court documents indicated that his childhood was plagued by abuse, poverty, and instability. But specific details are not available. Now in 2007, when Major John was around 16 years old,

He was charged with battery. He also had misdemeanor driving violations and one charge of drug possession. But once he reached adulthood, everything seemed to change. Major John vowed to live differently than how he was raised. He wanted his family to have stability, which meant he had to work hard and keep a steady job, which he did. And Major John was proud of himself.

With the way he grew up, things could have gone a lot differently. He himself watched kids with similar upbringings, lives of crime and drug addiction. But not him. He was taking control of his life. Now, Major John ended up marrying his high school sweetheart, Kaylee. The two had been together since they were 14 years old. And by 2023, they had three children, two daughters and one son.

Major John was the type of guy who liked to work with his hands. In the years prior, according to his Facebook, John worked as a choker-setter-rigging man at Park and Forestry, which is essentially someone who fastens steel cables around logs to prepare them for hauling. But in 2023, he was working as an underground miner at Idaho Strategic Resources.

So, by all accounts, Major John was a hands-on in all of his careers, working physically demanding jobs that reflected his blue-collar lifestyle. And luckily, his job allowed his wife Kaylee to stay home with their three children. At the time of our story, all was well with the Kaler family. They were happy, healthy, they had stability, and they lived in a good home at 515B Brown Avenue. Now, this home was actually a duplex, and they lived on the upper level.

but it was perfect for them there were two bedrooms one bathroom and most importantly a nice backyard where the kids could run and play and for years the kaler family called this place home

Prior to 2023, the Kalers had shared the two-story duplex with an older woman. She had lived in the unit below them and there were no issues. Now, I wasn't able to figure out what happened to that older lady, but by the summer of 2023, she was no longer living there. And soon enough...

The Kalers watched as another family moved in. It was June 4th, 2023. 41-year-old Kenna Gardapie and her two sons, 18-year-old Devin and 16-year-old Aiken, began moving boxes in. They were the new tenants of 515A Brown Avenue. Born in 1982, Kenna worked as a cook at Mountain Valley of Cascadia.

an assisted living facility right across the street from the duplex. So when this unit opened up, Kenna jumped at the opportunity. She could now live right across the street from her work.

which was ideal as a single mother of two. For those who knew her, Kenna was described as a dedicated mother. She was also a great caretaker to the residents at the nursing home. According to a family friend, Kenna knew all of the residents' meal preferences and she loved to play dress up with them. The dress up days were her favorite thing. She'd dress up for the residents and have fun." End quote.

One of her coworkers told the Coeur d'Alene Post Falls Press that Kenna owned more tutus than anyone she had ever known.

She was described as tough, independent, and hardworking. She was the type of mother that tried her best to give her children a good life, despite their single family income. But things weren't always easy. Her sons, Devin and Aiken, they didn't have a stable father figure in their lives. But luckily, Kenna's father, 65-year-old Kenneth Gardapi, had really stepped in to help.

Now, Kenneth had been getting older and slowing down. He was looking forward to retirement, especially after he had just recently suffered a heart attack. But even so, he did everything he could to make their lives easier. Kenneth would drive the boys to after school events, and he would even take them to doctor's appointments while Kenna was working.

Now, Devin Smith was born in 2005, so in 2023, he was 18 years old, and he had just graduated from Kellogg High School in late May. According to his family, he had planned to become a hoistman.

As for his younger brother, Aiken, he was about to enter his senior year at Kellogg High. According to friends, Aiken had big dreams of joining the military after high school and was a member of the Junior ROTC. He volunteered at the Wallace Elks and spent the previous Memorial Day traveling with his ROTC group to local cemeteries to honor fallen soldiers with a 21-gun salute. He also enjoyed carrying the colors in Veterans Day parades.

In a social media post in 2022, Aiken wrote, quote, "'Received two national-level awards from the MCJROTC program. Joining the program is one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I wouldn't change it for anything,' end quote. Together, their family enjoyed spending time outdoors."

mountain biking through the Kellogg Trails, hitting the ski slope on Kellogg Mountain, camping, hiking, and picking huckleberries. Being avid outdoorsmen, the family always rode their mountain bikes together every Sunday. It was their ritual. Recently, their grandfather, Kenneth, had purchased a 1957 Jeep that needed a lot of work, so he and Aiken had spent some quality time together restoring it. When it was finished, Kenneth planned on giving his grandson the Jeep as a gift for all of his hard work.

However, that summer, an incident would occur that would change the lives of both families living at the duplex. Now keep in mind, Devin and Aiken lived in the downstairs unit with their mom and grandpa, and the Kaler family lived upstairs, so they shared a backyard.

According to Kaylee Kaler, everything had been fine during those first few weeks. No loud music, no parties going on after hours, but there was something that stuck out to her. In the days after the family moved in downstairs, she noticed that nearly every time her young daughters would go outside to play, the 18-year-old boy living beneath them would come outside as well.

But she said that he wasn't out there for any particular reason. He would just come out and watch them. Now Kaylee said that at first she tried to brush it off.

After all, they shared a backyard, so he was allowed to be out there. But there was something in her that felt off, a nagging feeling in her gut telling her to be cautious while her children played outside. So she made a mental note of it. But about a week later, something would happen that would prove her mother's intuition was right.

It was June 13th, 2023. Kaylee was in the backyard with her two daughters. The girls were coloring with chalk on the concrete when suddenly one of her daughters yelled out, mom, the boy's in the window. Now Kaylee said that at first she didn't think anything of it. She even told her daughter, yes, it's their house. It's fine. But when she looked up and saw her daughter's face, she said that she looked terrified.

shocked. And that's when her little girl yelled out, quote, "No, mom, the boy, he's shaking his penis," end quote. When Kaylee got up to see what her daughter was looking at, she said that she immediately saw 18-year-old Devin Smith naked, standing right there at his window. Upon seeing her, Kaylee said that he quickly jumped onto his bunk bed and pushed himself back out of sight.

But as you can imagine, Kaylee was furious. Immediately, she ran inside to tell her husband what she just witnessed, and he was even more furious. Major John Kaler quickly ran into the backyard and knocked on Devin's window, but it seemed as if Devin was no longer in his room.

Now, following this, the Kaler family did call the Shoshone County Sheriff's Department to report what happened. And soon enough, Officer William Eddy was dispatched to the scene. According to him, when he pulled up to the duplex, he spoke with Major John Kaler, who was visibly angry. Major John even told the officer that the only reason he had not taken care of Devin himself was because he was recovering from shoulder surgery. However, he stated that if it happened again, he would handle it,

and somebody's going to get hurt. The Kalers also called the landlord to make sure they were aware of the situation, but as you can imagine, this was very traumatic for them. The little girl who saw Devin that day was just 11 years old, and that's something no 11-year-old girl should ever have to witness. But on top of that, they no longer felt safe within their own home. For years, Kaylee and Major John would let their kids run around in the backyard without a care in the world. They knew that it was a safe space for them to be kids.

but not anymore. So, soon after this happened, Kaylee Kaler decided to post about it on Facebook. The post read as follows:

So we got new neighbors downstairs two weeks ago. They have two teenage boys. One just graduated and the other one does next year. We share a backyard. My kids stay on their side, but they're out there a lot. They jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler. Almost every single time, the older boy goes outside on his porch and he seems to be watching them. I tried to brush it off since it's their yard too, but my mama gut couldn't shake it.

I was outside with Redacted and Redacted, coloring with chalk in our backyard tonight, when Redacted says, "Mom, the boy is in the window." And she seems shocked. I say, "Yes, it's their house. It's fine." And she goes, "No, Mom, the boy. He's shaking his penis." This dude was staring out the window directly at my girls and I, beating his dick off. I saw his naked body jump up on the bunk bed and scoot back.

I made an effort to not look in their windows. So the fact that he was standing right there in front of it and my daughter saw everything is absolutely disgusting. Especially because she was on the opposite side of our climbing dome, as far away in the yard as she could be on our side.

not even close to his window. Why were you staring in their direction? I immediately ran to get Major, who went down to go bang on the window, but he was gone. So Major went to the front door and had knocked several times before he got an answer. I am freaking distraught. I called the landlord to let him know in case they start to complain about us, or if they want to try and start drama and get us kicked out so he knows why. I am livid. The police have been called."

I don't take stuff like this lightly. I just want to protect my children, but people always act like you are being dramatic. This is the last thing I want to be dealing with in this market. Now my kids can't play outside like they've been able to for years when there was just a sweet old lady living below us.

And apparently, Devin Smith had a sordid history of being inappropriate, at least according to some residents in Kellogg. After Kaylee posted her story, one resident chimed in and responded with this: "I went to school with him from kindergarten all the way up to my sophomore year. He is a creep and will not stop. He's been doing this kind of shit for a long ass time now. The police department needs to lock his ass up for life. He is disgusting."

Another woman named Cadence Lennon also responded saying this: "Our senior class girls has this thing where if we saw him looking at girls in a certain way, we knew he would take pictures of any skin showing. So we started letting the other girls around know that he was looking and that they should probably put a sweatshirt on. Because no matter how many times we told the school about the disgusting things he did, the school never did anything.

But unfortunately, even after reporting this incident to the police, nothing would happen. Apparently, when the cops asked Devin about it, he denied it. According to Kaylee, Devin's family even started blaming their daughters, saying that the girls were snooping around looking in their windows, and that while doing so, they had caught a glimpse of Devin masturbating. But Kaylee was adamant that that was not what happened. "We wrote out our statements and are pressing the issue, and so are the cops.

They were as helpful as could be. He's 18 and started crying and denying it. Then they tried to turn it on my kids, saying they were mad that they were walking down and looking into their windows. We didn't see it walking down the stairs.

We saw it from across our yard, 15-20 feet away. And it was still daylight out, so he was close enough to the window that we could vividly see everything. That is not okay. Like someone said above, he was positioned to where my daughter and then myself could see exactly what he was doing. That took some effort. And that kind of behavior is gross, disturbing, and unacceptable in every sort of way. I'm so sad for my kids right now.

Another Kellogg resident commented on the post with her own interaction with Devin saying the following,

Known him since middle school where he was attempting to look up CP and had his Chromebook taken for having, quote, questionable content on it.

He would always stare at the girls in class and had me covering up any time I'd walk near him. He's been caught shoving girls against their lockers and walls of the school trying to rape them and touching multiple girls, including myself inappropriately for years. Praying that your babies stay protected. It's so sad you have to keep them from being kids because of creeps.

The Idaho Tribune also reported that two sources said Devin Smith was given two days of in-school suspension after he was caught masturbating in class. But according to the news report, the allegations were never confirmed.

According to Kellogg Police Chief Paul Twitt, "...we responded to the call, investigated the call, and the report was done that day and submitted to the prosecutor's office for charges." Now, the police department recommended that Devin Smith be charged with one misdemeanor count of indecent exposure, and the charges were supposed to be filed with the prosecutor's office.

However, for reasons unknown, the charge was not in the court system by the evening of June 18th. And for the time being, Major John and Kaylee Koehler were angry. Apparently, Major John even attempted to speak with Devon's mother Kenna and his grandfather Kenneth to explain what had transpired, but according to him, they brushed it off. But they couldn't avoid each other forever.

After all, they lived in the same building and the town where they resided was small. So much so, the Kalers even saw them at the grocery store a few days later. Hey everybody, Courtney and I have a favor to ask of you. If you love Murder in America, you love our show, please leave us a five-star review wherever you listen to your podcasts, whether that's Apple Podcasts, Spotify. If you love our show and you want to help us grow,

definitely consider leaving us a five-star review. Also, it helps the show so much when people share out links to our program. So if you're listening and you're loving what we're doing here, share us on your Instagram story, shout us out on X, post one of our shows on your Facebook, and let the world, your friends, your family know that you're listening to Murder in America. It seriously helps us so much. It helps us grow the show. We couldn't do this without all of you listening at home. Seriously, thank y'all. But let's get back to the story.

Kaylee made another Facebook post, this time with a picture of Devin, and she stated the following:

This is the sicko who made eye contact with my daughter while masturbating and exposing himself. His name is Devin and he is 18. We walked into the store yesterday and he was standing there with his mom named Kenna, who still hasn't said a word to us. She just put her head down and looked embarrassed. He stared at my kids and I when we walked in and then gave Major the same smug look that he was giving when Major was confronting him.

Once again, someone responded to her post with a personal story of Devin. It read as follows.

This crap has been going on for years with girls his age that we know of. He has some kind of disability and I feel he's been protected because of it. Call the cops. Report it. He's graduated and out in society full time now." Now, Kenna's friend, Katie Ann James, stated in a later interview with the Spokesman Review that Devin had a learning disability and struggled socially. But she said that he had been working hard to overcome his issues.

Devin's great uncle, Joe Guadipi, admitted that his mother, Kenna, had reached out to the state for help to try and get Devin counseling, as she couldn't afford it on her own. But after she sent in her application, there was just little that they could do.

But according to the people of Kellogg, Devin Smith had a history of this kind of behavior. Another student who went to school with Devin named Daisy Sawyer also told the local newspaper that Devin quote, "harassed her at school and was known to be inappropriate."

So when word started spreading about him exposing himself to these young girls, it didn't seem like anyone was surprised. Then, as if the Kaler family couldn't be more upset,

After sharing their stories, they were met with all of these people who had similar disturbing stories of their downstairs neighbor. The Kalers were beginning to realize that this likely wasn't a one-time thing. Their downstairs neighbor was allegedly a serial offender. - And by looking at their Facebook accounts, it's clear that this incident was really affecting them.

Major John and Kaylee even shared a meme over Facebook that referred to the infamous story of Leon Gary Plauchet. The meme referenced a well-known case where Gary's 10-year-old son, Jody, was kidnapped and molested by his karate coach, Jeff Doucet, in 1984.

Jeff had taken Jody to Disneyland where he repeatedly sodomized the young boy. Now, eventually, Jeff's crimes were exposed to the world, and he was soon arrested. However, unbeknownst to everyone, as Jeff was being extradited back to Louisiana, Jody's father was hiding near a payphone at the airport. After he found out what happened to his son, he wanted to take revenge.

So, Gary hid that day near the payphone at the airport, waiting for his son's abuser to walk by. Now, he actually was on the phone at the time with his best friend Jimmy. And during that phone call, he sees Jeff walking in his direction, with the police and camera crews from the local news station by his side. And at that moment, Gary whispered to his friend on the phone, Here he comes. You're about to hear a shot.

and just as jeff walked by news cameras rolling gary reached into his right boot spun around and quickly fired one bullet from his 38 snub-nosed revolver into jeff's head here's the audio from that shooting ducette a karate instructor had abducted 11 year old jody ploshae several weeks earlier and taken him to california when jody was rescued and returned to his family his father gary was coping with reports that ducette had sexually assaulted his son

We didn't know what to do. You just feel helpless. Ten days later, when the police flew Doucette back to face trial, Gary Ploche was waiting with a gun. As the suspect came through the airport, I readied my camera, raised it up to get a close-up shot of him. As I got a close-up shot and as he got parallel to me, Gary Ploche shoots and kills him.

Gary, why? Gary, why? And to this day, it stands out in my mind, the shooter, Gary Plocher, says, if it had been your child, you would have done the same thing, too. Today, Abram McGill is an assistant U.S. attorney and views that tape through the eyes of a federal prosecutor. I would have to say the videotape was the most ideal witness in this case. You can actually see him take the

gun out of his boot, pull it up to the shoulder lever of Jeff Doucette and pull the trigger and shoot him. Yet, Ploche, after pleading no contest to manslaughter, got off with only five years probation.

Now, that case was huge at the time. Everyone in America was watching it all unfold, and most people stood with the killer, Gary Poche. They applauded his actions and many said that they would have done the same thing if their kid was being abused. Surprisingly, Gary didn't even have to serve prison time for killing his son's abuser. Instead,

He was given a suspended sentence of seven years and he had to complete some community service. But for decades, when it comes to child abuse cases, people referenced that Gary story. And still to this day, they talk about how he was a hero.

And it seems as if Major John and Kaylee Kaler thought this as well, because after the incident with Devin Smith, they reposted this cartoon photo of Gary shooting Jeff with the title, "How to Catch a Predator." - Now, upon seeing this Facebook post, I can assume that no one actually thought Major John would take matters into his own hands like Gary did. But that post was an eerie foreshadowing of what was to come.

which brings us to Sunday, June 18th, 2023, Father's Day. That morning, Kaylee posted a heartfelt message to her husband. It read, quote,

Happy Father's Day to the best dad ever. I see you in all that you do for your kids and I. You work hard, stand your ground, and don't give up. You're the exact person I want our kids looking up to. Our life together is the greatest, and I'm so amazingly lucky to have someone like you as the father to my children. The kids and I love you. Can't wait for you to get home from work.

However, Kaylee had no idea that when her husband would come home from work, all chaos would break loose at the duplex. It was a little after 7:00 PM when Major John arrived back home. And the first thing he did when he walked through the doors was holster his gun. From there, he and Kaylee went to the backyard to allegedly water some plants, but that's when they ran into their neighbors.

Kenna and her father Kenneth. Upon seeing each other, a heated argument ensued, something that was also caught on surveillance footage from a business across the street. Now Kaylee knew that Major John had his gun on him, but at this point it was put away in his holster. However, within a few minutes, the sound of gunfire would echo throughout the street. During their argument,

Major John pulled his gun from his holster and aimed it directly at Kenna. In an attempt to protect herself from the bullets, she put her hand out, but Major John pulled the trigger. The bullet from his gun went through Kenna's hand and directly into her chest, but she wasn't dead just yet. After dropping to the ground, Major John stood over her and put the muzzle of his gun right up to her head.

He pushed it so hard against her, there was a muzzle imprint on her temple. And then he pulled the trigger once more, killing her. Standing next to Kenna was her father Kenneth. He had just watched his daughter get gunned down in the backyard of their home. And it seems as if he tried to get away. But soon enough, Major John turned the gun on him.

Like with Kenna, he first fired a shot into Kenneth's chest. Then once he dropped to the ground, he pushed the gun up against his temple and fired a fatal shot into his head. Execution style. Now Major John's wife Kaylee was outside at this time. She would later say that everything happened so fast. All she remembered was hearing the gunshots and seeing Kenna and Kenneth drop to the ground.

and from there she quickly ran inside. But the entire time she was running, the gunfire continued. Her husband wasn't finished with his rampage. After murdering Kenna and Kenneth, Major John made his way into his neighbor's home. Horrifically, 16-year-old Aiken Smith heard the gunshots outside,

and it seemed as though he got up to run to safety. Within their duplex, there was an area between the living room and kitchen, and as Aiken was running through it, he encountered his upstairs neighbor. Major John was standing there in their home, holding a gun. Aiken tried to run away from him, but in response, Major John lifted his gun and fired a shot into Aiken's back.

Once he was down, he then fired a second shot into his temple, killing him instantly. Then from there, Major John went to find the main target, Devin Smith, the 18-year-old who allegedly exposed himself to his two young daughters. Along the way to Devin's bedroom,

Major John grabbed an extra magazine and loaded it into his gun. After hearing the gunshots outside and in his home, Devin likely knew what was coming, and he probably knew exactly who was coming as well. And then suddenly, the door to his room burst open. Standing there in the threshold was Major John Kaler,

Now from how Devon's body was later found, it's believed that he got onto his knees. Maybe he did that on his own, or maybe Major John forced him into that position. We don't know. But what we do know is that after Devon got onto his knees, Major John fired a shot directly into his head. Now that first shot would have definitely killed Devon, but Major John continued to fire at him.

In the end, Devin had a total of four bullet holes in his head. At 7.20 p.m., a 911 call came into the police department indicating shots were fired around 515 Brown Avenue in Kellogg. Shortly after that, a second 911 call came in from the shooter himself. During the call, he told the dispatcher, This is Major John Kaler. I just went downstairs and executed a fucking pedophile and his family.

the dispatcher asked you shot somebody and major john replied i shot four people they're all dead at 7 24 pm four minutes after the 9-1-1 call was placed sergeant jared belaski of the shoshone county sheriff's department arrived at the scene and saw major john kaler outside on the street with another neighbor named hunter jones not fully understanding what had happened sergeant belaski approached major john and he admitted that he had just shot his neighbors

The officer responded, "You what?" and Major John repeated that he had shot and killed his four neighbors. Sergeant Belaski asked Major John if he was still armed with the weapon and he admitted that he had put the gun away. The officer then ordered Major John to the ground but he was in some pain as he had just broken his shoulder.

Now, as Major John was being handcuffed, Sergeant Belaski looked over at Hunter, their neighbor, and stated that he was going to pat her down for weapons. But Major John stated that Hunter had nothing to do with what was going on. She seemed to be just as confused as he was. As you can imagine, Sergeant Belaski was dumbfounded over the call he just responded to. It's not every day that you're the first officer on the scene of a quadruple homicide. And as Major John was being handcuffed,

Sergeant Belaski was still trying to get an understanding of what happened here. Major John told the officer that his neighbor was a pedophile and that the police department refused to do anything about it. He admitted that minutes earlier, when he encountered Devin's mother and grandpa outside, he tried to talk to them about what happened, but they told him that there was nothing they could do. And in that moment, Major John said he snapped and killed everyone in the apartment.

As more first responders arrived at the scene, Major John's wife Kaylee and their three kids emerged from their upstairs apartment. Sadly, they were covered in a blanket and screaming. As Major John was being escorted into a police cruiser, he handed his wife his wallet, keys, and phone, and he told her that he, quote, "protected their kids." But Kaylee was in shock. This was her husband, the man she had been with for 18 years.

the father of her children. And now he was being arrested for murdering people. Now at the scene, Kaylee told Detective Klitsch everything that had happened about Devin masturbating in front of the window while she and her daughters were outside, about the police reports they made, and how nothing was done about it. So when they went outside that day and saw Kenna and Kenneth,

Major John decided to confront them. Kaylee admitted that she knew Major John had his gun on him, but she never thought he would actually use it. Kaylee told the officers that as soon as her husband started shooting, she ran upstairs to her apartment. And over the next few minutes, all she could do was listen in horror as the gunshots continued.

Now, the officers asked her, quote, did you two have a plan for if you caught Devin masturbating in front of the children again? To which Kaylee said, yes. Major John admitted that he was going to take care of it, which is exactly what he told the police when they first reported the masturbating incident. Major John told dispatch that if this happened again, he was going to, quote, handle it. And that, quote, somebody's going to get hurt.

However, Kaylee said that she just assumed her husband was going to beat Devin up. She had no idea that he was going to murder him and his entire family.

as officers looked around the property they were met with a horrific scene outside the ground floor apartment in the backyard kenneth and kenneth guardipi lay dead kenna was located face up near the exterior concrete steps to apartment a near her body was the body of her father kenneth his body was located partially on the concrete steps and partially in a garden next to the steps around their bodies police located several 45 caliber shell casings

From here, the officers went into the apartment. 16-year-old Akin Smith was located between the living room and kitchen on his stomach. Only one .45 caliber bullet casing was found near his body. Then they found 18-year-old Devin Smith. As soon as they stepped foot in his bedroom, they knew that he was the intended target that evening. He was found on his knees face down with his head riddled with bullets. Several .45 caliber casings were found around his body. This was overkill.

and all four victims had been murdered execution style. Now, later that night, investigators were able to get a search warrant for Major John's black 2022 Dodge Ram, and inside of it, on the driver's seat, they found his belt, holster, and semi-automatic pistol. It was later discovered that there was blood and tissue on the gun, which proved Major John had shot his victims at close range. Inside the gun, they found one bullet in the chamber.

And nearby, underneath the driver's seat, they found an empty magazine, which meant that Major John had reloaded his gun during the shooting. Now following his arrest...

Major John was actually taken to a nearby church for further questioning. And while there, he would speak to Detective Justin Klitsch and Captain Jeff Lee. But surprisingly, Major John's main concern at the time was actually about his broken shoulder. He kept complaining to the officers about how badly it hurt and how he was tired and nauseous.

and nauseous. But from there, he started talking about everything leading up to the shooting and how Devin, who he referred to as a pedophile, was masturbating in front of his kids. Now, the detectives were actually really understanding.

and likely to get Major John talking, Detective Klitsch even brought up this podcast he had recently listened to. He told Major John, quote, So, I gotta tell you, dude, I just got back from Seattle about an hour ago. Have you ever heard of the Sean Ryan show? Well, you'll have to listen to this podcast. But my wife cried the whole way to Seattle. We were listening to this sex predator bullshit. End quote. End quote.

And Major John agreed, telling the detective that he had a huge problem with sexual predators. Detective Klitsch also brought up Kaylee's Facebook posts, where she had talked about what happened. And the detective told Major John that after reading it, he, quote, couldn't fucking believe that shit, end quote. Now, as for his motive behind the shooting, Major John said that they had reported the incident to the police, but nothing ever happened.

There were zero repercussions. So he took matters to his own hands. Here is the following conversation he had with detectives. Colin will play the part of Major John and I will be the detective. That's why this happened. Because no one would do anything about it. And I'm not okay with that. I'm not going to let something happen to my fucking kids. I understand, man. And his mother is telling me he can do whatever he wants. There's nothing you can do about it.

So I'm like, you're okay with his behavior? He's never had any repercussions and the whole town is aware of it, but no one will do anything about it. Look, dude, it's infuriating. I mean, I... I have three kids. I'm not going to allow it, period. Like I said, dude, my wife literally cried for two hours. When I read that Facebook message from your wife, it just pissed me off. But before we get started, I do want to ask some questions.

All I know is that Facebook post, okay? That's all I've seen. But I do have to go through some procedural shit here. Detective Klitsch read Major John his Miranda rights and then continued on with the questioning. Major John admitted that he snapped, lost it, and did something about it. However, he then told the detective that he wanted an attorney and the interview was concluded. This episode is brought to you by Shopify.

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Season 1 of Andor had critics calling it the best Star Wars series yet. Season 2 of the Emmy-nominated series is now streaming on Disney+. Follow Cassian Andor as he embarks on a path from a rebel to a hero. Starring Diego Luna and from creator Tony Gilroy, writer of Michael Clayton and The Bourne Identity. Season 2 of Andor is now streaming only on Disney+.

Some evidence would later show that Major John's actions may have not been spur of the moment. In fact, it may even prove that his rampage was premeditated. Because shortly before the shooting, surveillance footage showed Major John arriving home in his black Dodge truck. But before going inside,

He walked around his residence for several minutes. He also walked across the street to that assisted living facility where Kenna worked. Major John was then seen walking back over to the duplex behind a parked trailer. His position gave him a view of the backyard.

and the back door of apartment A. From the looks of it, it seemed as though Major John was looking for his victims. Then from there, he would go inside of his apartment where, according to his wife, he put his gun in his holster. Then moments later, you could hear a verbal dispute break out on the surveillance footage. The argument lasted about five minutes before the gunshots were heard.

From here, Major John was taken to the Shoshone County Jail where he was held without bond and ultimately charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. But as the news spread around the small town of Kellogg, Idaho, the community was shaken.

Here's some audio of the neighbors in the area and their reaction to the shooting. Backyard on my patio doing our weekly family dinner and all I heard, I think all we heard was sirens. Neighbor Christy Willem has lived in Kellogg most of her life and is grappling with what happened across the street. Something like this. No, it's been a long, long time.

The Shoshone County Sheriff's Office says four people were shot dead. A 31 year old suspect has been arrested. Multiple attempts to get more details from investigators weren't answered Monday. It's heartbreaking. I mean,

I just, I was just in shock the whole night. I mean, I just stayed up and I just kept processing it and watching what was going on, you know, seeing all the policemen surrounding the area still and knowing that my brother-in-law Paul was across the street helping out perpetrators

providing a place for them at the church. Paul Robert is the associate pastor of Mountain View Congregational Church. By the time we had taken a look, they had taped off the parking lot at the church. He opened up the building for officers as a base of operations. We were here until just about

11 o'clock last night and then checked and it was clear that they were going to be the police were going to be there all night long. As investigators continued processing the scene well into Monday afternoon, Roberts is looking to what his church can offer when that's over a sanctuary and a place to grieve. Just come together. Like I said, come together as a community.

and be there for one another. A preliminary hearing for Major John was scheduled for July 3rd, 2023, just weeks after he fatally shot four neighbors. During his first court appearance on June 20th, Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Allen described the crime scene as relatively horrific and noted that one of the victims, 16-year-old Akin Smith, was only a child. In the courtroom, he stated,

we see a crime which was committed in a relatively horrific manner in regards to the nature of the allegations, the manner in which it was carried out, and the method in which it was utilized by the defendant in the course of his actions.

During a police news conference on that same day, Lt. Paul Berger with the Idaho State Police said, "This is a tragic situation that will affect the Kellogg community. Detectives continue working to establish a timeline and what led to the shooting." According to the charging documents, the deaths of Kenneth and Kenna were "premeditated" and/or to execute vengeance, and the deaths of Akin and Devon were "premeditated" to execute vengeance and/or committed in the perpetration of a burglary.

Major John Allen Taylor had his first appearance at the Shoshone County Courthouse just two hours ago. Officers walked him from the Shoshone County Jail right next to me here across the street to the courthouse. Take a look at your screen. You can see video of deputies there escorting him into the courthouse. The proceedings lasted about 25 minutes. The judge read Taylor his rights, then the five counts he is charged with. That's one count of felony burglary and four counts of first degree murder.

Yes.

From those charges, we learned who the four people killed were. Kenna and Kenneth Gardapie, Devin Smith, and someone the judge referred to as A.S. During bail arguments, the prosecution told the judge one of the victims was a child under 18 years old. The prosecution also went over Taylor's criminal history, which included several misdemeanors, and told the judge some of the probable cause in the case. Admissions were ultimately made to the offenses charged.

In subsequent interviews by law enforcement with those in or around the scene, identified both a motive, a method, and a witness to at least two of the four charged murders. The judge denied Taylor bail in this case and also set the preliminary hearing for 1.30 in the afternoon on July 3rd. There will also be a status conference at 8.30 that morning. In Wallace, Nicole Hernandez, Crime 2 News.

If you love Murder in America, you love mysteries, you love true crime, you love murder stories and the unknown, then I have a new show for you. It's called The Conspiracy Files and it's hosted by me, Colin Brown, from Murder in America and The Paranormal Files.

On The Conspiracy Files, we explore everything from bizarre deaths to freak paranormal events, pedophile rings, government corruption, ritual sacrifice. No topic is untouched on this show. Everything that we talk about on The Conspiracy Files is backed up with fact,

I release reference sheets with every single episode that we do so you guys know everything we're talking about is confirmed to have happened and be real. It's a completely different type of show.

than anything else you've ever seen about conspiracy theories. Instead of a bunch of conjecture and theories, we're presenting you people with facts, telling you the story, walking you through the story just as detailed as we do with Murder in America, and then letting the listener decide what they think. Anyways, you should definitely give it a listen. It's called The Conspiracy Files. The links are in the description of this show, and you can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And now let's get back to our story. - Now, clearly the public was going to have their opinions about the case. And as you can imagine, there were people who were not very upset about the murder of Devin Smith. Based on his actions beforehand and the actions he was accused of by people in his community, some people believed that Devin was better off dead. Others completely disagreed, saying that Devin was just a kid

and that justice needs to be in the hands of law enforcement, not vigilantes. But I think regardless of your stance, most people agreed that it was a tragedy that Devon's entire family had been killed that day.

Three generations completely erased. Now Devon's little brother Aiken was described as a good kid. One of Aiken's friends, Alex Rodriguez, wrote on one of Kaylee's original Facebook posts, quote, "'Yeah, justified in killing the whole family? "'The pedophile's brother is one of my best friends "'and an amazing kid.'"

"Three years JROTC serving his community. He was going to be a senior this year. He had his whole life ahead of him. I had so many great memories with him. I'm not saying his pedophile brother is innocent, but he is no hero taking the life of his innocent brother and family. It sucks knowing the last conversation I'll ever have with him was about how awful his brother was earlier today."

Interestingly, Kenna Guardipi's loved ones seemed to jump to her defense after the murders. One friend even told the public that Kenna was well aware of Devin's issues and that she was working hard to get him the help he needed. But Kenna's name was also dragged through the mud. People were upset with the fact that she had allegedly made excuses for Devin's behavior. But her loved ones said that despite what the public has said about her, Kenna was an incredible person.

Kenna Gardapie is the mom who Major John Kaler has pleaded guilty to killing. But Major John's wife, Kaylee, was also speaking to the public, letting them know that her husband was a good person, despite his actions on that fateful evening. She blamed police officers and Kellogg High School for never stepping in when it was obvious Devin had significant issues. Everyone that knows him knows he's a good person.

This is not what he wanted. This wasn't, you know, this is not what anyone wanted. The police, our landlord, the one who was doing it, the person who was doing it to his family all made us feel like we weren't safe and nothing was going to be done about it. And the kid, not kid, Devin, this adult, 18, said he was not going to be getting in trouble, that the cops believed him and were on his side.

Why didn't Kellogg High School do something? Why didn't Kellogg Police do something? Why wasn't it concerning when I called when all this other stuff had happened and other people tried to get restraining orders and tried to get something done about him? Why didn't school do anything about this kid? But they made that big of a fuss about that kid not graduating. They wouldn't let him graduate, but they let this kid. There's been nothing but problems, and I've been told they just wanted to get him out of there.

And that's what he's been.

Shortly after the murders, Major John's brother, Buddy Kaler, created a GoFundMe for Kaylee and her three children. It read, "...my name is Buddy Kaler and I'm trying to raise money for my sister-in-law and three small children for rent, groceries, and the necessities to live after a tragic event."

After enduring unthinkable sexual harassment by a neighbor, the current situation has left my brother in jail and the three kids and mom without a provider. Thank you for your donations. Anything helps. Today, the GoFundMe is no longer accepting donations. However, it raised $4,529 with a goal of only $4,000. So, as you can see, members of their community felt for the Kaler family.

Kaylee had been a stay-at-home mom, and now that her husband was in jail, she was going to have to raise their three children all on her own. But their family was very relieved, when on June 21st, 2023, the prosecuting attorney, Benjamin Allen, stated that the state of Idaho would not be seeking the death penalty in Major John's trial. Benjamin stated,

After careful consideration and discussion with the victim's family, our office has made the choice to remove the death penalty as a sentencing option, which will set the path of criminal procedure in this case on course as a non-capital first-degree murder. This decision comes as a result of careful consideration of the realities of death penalty statistics within our state, as well as discussions with the family members of the victims involved in this tragic event.

The community of Kellogg, Idaho was completely shaken by this quadruple homicide. Resident Dawn Rauenhorst remembered that the day it happened, she had just left her daughter's house across the street from the shooting when she noticed flashing police lights. Dawn admitted to the local newspaper that she figured it was a car accident or that they were responding to a medical call at the nearby nursing home. She said, quote,

I didn't imagine it would ever be anything serious." And that's how many people in this community felt. This was not the kind of town where families are wiped out in their own homes. This neighborhood in particular was quiet, calm, and mostly filled with elderly people, people who looked out for one another.

In fact, according to residents, it was common to get your neighbors to grab your mail for you if you were out of town. If you were missing an ingredient while you were making dinner, you could knock on your neighbor's door and they'd give you whatever you needed. And it seemed as if Kenna Gardapie was one of those people. She was described as kind with a big heart for others. And the elderly people she worked with across the street would definitely feel her absence after she was killed.

Soon enough, a memorial for their family was even put up outside of their duplex. The memorial behind me has grown overnight. Throughout the day, I've watched people stop their cars to take a look. Others have walked up to lay down flowers. The family friend who helped put this together says she wants people to remember the Guardapis as a good family.

Beneath the backdrop of a busy Idaho interstate, a quiet memorial is steadily growing outside this duplex on the corner of Utah and West Brown Avenue. People are going to drive by here, so like them just like.

having like the crime scene mind and just like looking at this just didn't sit well with us. So we're like, we gotta go put something up. Katie Ann James is a longtime family friend now helping honor Kenna Gardapi and the three family members killed Sunday night. It was just, it still doesn't even seem, you know, the

I don't even think it's set in yet. She says Kenna was a mother figure to everyone who always remembered to pack extra essentials on their joint family trips. She like had the biggest heart, like even we went and did anything. If I forgot anything, Kenna always had a spare of everything. She worked at a nursing home just across the street and knew the residents meal preferences down to how much chocolate to add to their milk. Like the dress up days was her favorite thing. So like they dress up

you know and for the residents and have fun james says kenna's father kenneth was helping raise her two teen boys devon and aiken smith aiken was about to turn 17 and looking forward to a military career after high school while serving in junior rotc super dedicated volunteered anytime he could you know go the earliest stay the latest he could investigators returned to the scene wednesday where prosecutors say major john kaler shot the family of four

An affidavit shows Kaler accused Devin Smith of lewd, inappropriate conduct in front of a window in full view of Kaler's young children less than a week before the shootings. The affidavit says police responded and investigated with no further details. You know, I don't even think they lived here a full two weeks for all this to be going down. So for them to like not even give the law enough time to do anything,

Like, this stuff takes time and it's a process. So for them to not even let the law actually do what they need to do the correct and legal way, and then just to take it into their own hands and think that they can play God and kill people is, like, it's disgusting.

On July 3rd, 2023, the preliminary hearing for Major John was rescheduled and a gag order was issued by the Shoshone County District Court. Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Allen was set to present witnesses to convince Magistrate Judge Keisha Oxendine to move forward with the case against Major John. But he, as well as the defense,

stated that they needed more time to gather evidence and witnesses. Although it was rescheduled, Benjamin filed a list of witnesses he already had, including the Spokane County Medical Examiner, the Shoshone County Coroner, the 911 operator, the neighbor who originally called 911, multiple police officers including Sgt. Jared Belaski and Detective Justin Klitsch, and Major John's wife, Kaylee Kaler.

During this time, Major John sat and waited in the Shoshone County Jail, awaiting his next court appearance. On October 20th, 2023, Major John's defense attorney, James Siebe, filed a motion to suppress the statements he had given to Sergeant Jared Belaski and Detective Klitsch on June 18th, 2023, arguing a Fifth Amendment violation. The court document stated:

that Detective Klitsch failed to read Major John his Miranda rights before he made incriminating statements to the officers.

James Siebe asked the court to throw out everything Major John said due to the fact that Major John had been coerced into speaking by Detective Klitsch after he mentioned the podcast about sexual predators and Kaylee's Facebook post about Devin. On November 8th, the prosecution and defense team argued in front of a judge in Wallace, Idaho. Detective Klitsch and Sergeant Jared Belaski stated that Major John willingly spoke to them.

a choice that was all on his own and not from a formal interrogation. They also said that they did not ask details about the murders until after his Miranda rights were read. And body cam footage worn by both men backed these statements up. Now to a developing story. Major John Kaler, the Kellogg man accused of killing a family of four over the summer, was back in court this afternoon. CREM News Kyle Simchuk was in court as Kaler's lawyers fought to have his charges dropped.

Major John Kaler appeared in court this afternoon wearing an orange jumpsuit. We saw his wife and other family members sitting in the pews right behind him. On the other side of the court, you had at least one family member of the four victims and other supporters. Kaler's defense is now asking the judge to throw out his confession, saying law enforcement violated his rights that day.

A Shoshone County lieutenant and an Idaho State Police detective both taking the witness stand today explaining why Major John Kaler was read his Miranda rights more than 90 minutes after being in police custody and after prosecutors say the 31-year-old confessed to shooting his four neighbors. Kaler's attorney wants the judge to throw out the confession since Kaler had not yet been informed he had the right to remain silent

and to have an attorney present. When I initially approached, nobody appeared to be in any sort of distress compared to what I was dispatched to. Shoshone County Lieutenant Gerald Baliski says he was on scene for a matter of seconds before Kaler voluntarily said he shot his four neighbors. He detained Kaler and placed him in the back of his patrol car.

Idaho State Police Detective Justin Klitsch told the court he did read Kaler his Miranda rights roughly 90 minutes later prior to an interview, once the detective shared a personal story to make Kaler more open to talking. That detective says he asked Kaler if he needed water, what chair he wanted to sit in, but did not ask any questions about the murders until after reading those Miranda rights.

He did. He did. I did. He did. He did.

What did you do at that point? I discontinued the interview. Now, prosecutors say Kaler's confession was captured on body cam video, so now it'll be up to a judge to decide if that evidence is included in trial. That trial is scheduled to begin January 9th.

But this issue never even moved forward because in December of 2023, Major John accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to four counts of second degree murder. So his original charges were reduced and that burglary charge was dropped. But this plea deal meant that there would not be a trial and instead he would move straight to the sentencing phase. - The man accused of killing four of his neighbors up in Kellogg says,

He did it. Major John Kaler officially pleaded guilty yesterday to those murders back in June. Last week, Kaler and his defense team entered into a mediated settlement agreement to have his murder charges reduced. Prosecutors agreed to change his first degree murder charges to second degree murder charges. Did you willfully, deliberately and with malice of forethought unlawfully kill the person of Kenna L Gardapi?

Yes. Guilty.

Prosecutors also dropped the burglary charge against Kaler. Police say he admitted to shooting and killing 18 year old Devin Smith, along with Smith's 16 year old brother, mom and grandfather. Kaler believes that Smith exposed himself and committed a sexual act in front of his young daughters, but that was never confirmed. Kaler will be sentenced on March 25th.

On March 19th, 2024, friends and relatives of the four victims poured into the courtroom to read their victim impact statements. They urged the judge to give Major John the maximum sentence allowed: life in prison without the possibility of parole. The first statement was read by Kenneth's brother, Joe Guadipi, who compared the pain of losing his family members to the pain he experienced in the Vietnam War. He said:

You viciously massacred and mutilated him with a large amount of lead bullets. You decided to be judge and jury. You decided to take matters into your own hands. You decided it was okay to take the lives of four of my family members. You said you snapped. Did you snap when you told a coworker you were going to do something that would get you in trouble later? Did you snap when you loaded two magazines to the maximum with ammunition?

Did you snap when you strapped on a semi-automatic pistol? Did you snap when you crept around casing the apartments looking for your victims prior to the incident? Did you snap when you confronted them and continuously pulled the trigger until both magazines were empty? You said you were protecting your children. Let me ask you who's protecting them now. All you did was traumatize them. They will spend the rest of their lives knowing their father is nothing more than a two-bit killer.

They may even be blaming themselves for this wicked event, let alone the peer pressure they'll have to contend with as they grow. What a man you are. Not only did you destroy my family, but yours as well." Kenna's aunt Teresa described her as quote, "A single mom that worked harder than ever to raise her babies. She was a good mama.

She was tough, strong-willed, and very independent. She always made sure her boys had everything they needed and some things that they wanted.

Teresa went on to say that Devin and Aiken were robbed of their lives. She concluded with, At least four impact statements stated that both Devin and Aiken were polite.

Family friend Judith Haley wrote that both boys were quote, "Well-mannered, respectful, and never demanding." And family friend, Gerilyn Sylvia said quote, "They would always address people, 'Yes ma'am' and 'Yes sir' when they spoke." End quote. Now, obviously the deaths of these four victims were horrific, impacting not only family and friends, but the entire community of Kellogg and the state of Idaho as a whole. In fact,

Only seven months prior to the quadruple homicide, the University of Idaho stabbings rocked the state.

when four students, Madison Mogan, Kaylee Gonzalves, Zanna Cronodle, and Ethan Chapman were found stabbed to death in a three-story home near the university campus. Now that is a story that we will definitely be covering on the podcast someday. But even though these tragedies were unrelated, both cast a dark heavy shadow over the state of Idaho.

On March 25, 2024, Major John Kaler was escorted into a packed courtroom in Wallace, Idaho. As Shoshone County District Court Judge Barbara Duggan handed down her sentence, Major John stared ahead, emotionless. Ultimately, he received the maximum penalty for his actions: life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge told him:

"The event is a particularly heinous event. You've taken four individuals from this community based on your decision." After handing down the sentence, friends and family members were allowed to speak to Major John directly and let him know that his decision that evening changed their lives forever. Ken Aguadipi's mother, Jerry Silva, said: "We lost three generations. I haven't seen, heard or touched my kids in nine months.

i can't sleep devin and aiken's grandfather david silva told judge duggan he killed an entire branch of our family tree never any great grandchildren to watch grow up i lost my best friend referring to aiken he spent hundreds of hours volunteering throughout the community an entire beautiful family taken by one person

As for Major John Kaler, he refused to say anything and responded, no thank you, when Judge Duggan asked if he wanted to address the court. As Major John was escorted out of the courtroom, Kaley broke down crying.

In October of 2023, the staff at Mountain Valley of Cascadia, where Kenna worked, would celebrate her life and dedicate a bike rack in her honor. After the murders, Kenna, Devin, and Aiken were cremated,

and it stated that there was no public memorial for them. Today, Major John Kaler is at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho, a prison designed for inmates with severe sentences or behavioral issues. And he had no possibility of parole, so he will be spending the rest of his life behind bars for the brutal murders of Kenneth Gardapie, Devin Smith,

and Akin Smith. For a lot of people, they believe that justice had been served for the cold-blooded killer. However, there were a few others who disagreed, saying that Major John was a desperate father who was only trying to protect his young girls. - This week, we will be making a donation to Faces of Hope, a nonprofit organization based in Boise, Idaho that is dedicated to supporting victims of violence and abuse.

They offer a 24-7 crisis line, counseling, legal help, and basic necessities for people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, human trafficking, and stalking. Hey everybody, thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. This was an insanely tragic story and just hard to believe all around. It's one of those stories that

I know at least for Courtney and I, definitely stuck with us after we first learned about what exactly had happened here. It's just horrible. However way you look at this entire equation, it's just horrible. But regardless, thank you everybody for tuning into the show this week.

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Also, please do not forget to leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to this show. And be sure to follow us on Instagram at Murder in America to see photos from every single case that we cover. Anyways, y'all, thank you so much for joining us this week. Courtney and I will be back next week with another story. Sadly, here in America, we are never going to run out of stories to talk about and discuss and raise awareness around.

But regardless, have a great rest of your week slash weekend, and I'll catch you on the next one.