VICTOR, Idaho — The state of Idaho will seek the death penalty for the Victor, Idaho man who allegedly murdered his pregnant wife, the unborn child she was carrying and their 10-month-old son.
Jeremy Albert Best, 48, will potentially be sentenced to death if found guilty for any one of the three first-degree murder charges he is facing.
The Teton County Prosecutors Office filed its Notice of Intent to seek the death penalty Wednesday afternoon.
Best was charged with the murders of his pregnant wife, Kali Jean Best, their unborn child, and their infant son, Zeke Gregory Best. Kali was found dead on Nov. 30 in the couple's driveway. Zeke's corpse was recovered on Dec. 2 with apparent knife wounds in his neck, according to an indictment issued on Dec. 18.
In addition to the three counts of murder in the first degree, Best was also charged with three counts of use of a firearm or other deadly weapon during the commission of a crime.
Best's attorney, John Archibald, asked the presiding judge on Feb. 1 to dismiss his indictment for murder in the first degree on the grounds that his mental health should have been more heavily considered prior to its issuance.
Archibald's argument was that if the grand jury had taken his mental health into greater consideration, then he would have potentially been charged with second-degree murder rather than first-degree. Which, therefore, would have removed the possibility of the death penalty.
Due to the heinous nature of the crime and bizarre circumstances that occurred both prior to the murders and the days following, the presiding judge ordered on Dec. 4 that Best undergo a mental competency evaluation conducted by the Department of Health and Welfare.
On Dec. 22, Best was found mentally fit and cleared to continue court proceedings facing the first-degree murder charges as listed in his grand jury indictment.
If convicted, Best faces up to life in prison and, as of Wednesday, possibly the death penalty.
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