Majorjon Kaylor appearing in court (KTVU screenshot) and mug shot (Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office)
A 32-year-old man in Idaho will spend the rest of his life behind bars for breaking into his neighbor’s home and massacring all four members of the family — including two teenagers — on Father’s Day in order to “execute vengeance” after one of the teens allegedly exposed themselves to his wife and daughter.
First Judicial District Court Judge Barbara Duggan on Monday ordered Majorjon Kaylor to serve a sentence of life in a state correctional facility without the chance of parole for the 2023 quadruple murder of Kenneth Guardipee, 65; his daughter, Kenna Guardipee, 41; and her two children, Devin Smith, 18, and Aiken Smith, 16, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Kaylor — who claimed he “snapped” after the 18-year-old victim allegedly exposed himself to Kaylor’s wife and young daughter — in December pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree murder over the violent rampage.
The sentencing hearing
During Monday’s hearing, Duggan upbraided Kaylor, calling his killing spree a “particular heinous event,” Spokane, Washington NBC affiliate KHQ reported.
Prior to the sentence being formally handed down, several of the victims’ family members were permitted to read impact statements.
“He killed an entire branch of our family tree,” David Silva, the grandfather of Aiken and Devin Smith, reportedly said. “Never any great grandchildren to watch grow up. I lost my best friend (Aiken Smith). He spent hundreds of hours volunteering throughout the community. An entire beautiful family taken by one person,”
Gerri Silva, the mother of Kenna Guardipee told the court that her family “lost three generations,” adding that she had not “seen, heard, or touched” her kids in the months since the murders.
Kenneth Guardipee’s brother, Joe Guardipee, read from a handwritten three-page statement, Boise, Idaho NBC affiliate KTVB reported.
“What a man you are, not only did you destroy my family, but yours as well,” he reportedly said. “You said you were protecting your children, let me ask you: Who’s protecting them now?”
After comparing the loss of his family to the pain he endured while fighting in the Vietnam War, Joe Guardipee continued to admonish Kaylor over what the convicted killer did to his brother and the rest of the family.
“You viciously massacred and mutilated (Kenneth Guardipee) with a large amount of lead bullets,” he reportedly said. “You decided to be judge and jury, you decided to play God. You decided to take matters into your own hands, you decided it was OK to take the lives of four of my family members.”
The massacre of a family
As previously reported by Law&Crime, deputies with the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office at about 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, June 18, 2023, responded to a 911 call reporting that multiple people had been shot and killed inside a residence 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.
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 a means for Kaylor “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.
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