East Idaho triple murder suspect seeks dismissal of indictment, cites mental health

Posted by Fernande Dalal on Thursday, July 11, 2024

The East Idaho man accused of killing his pregnant wife, their unborn child, and their 10-month-old son in December 2023 has filed a motion to have his grand jury indictment dismissed.

Jeremy Best's attorney argues that the prosecutors only presented the jury with first-degree murder.

Best's attorney argued that by not presenting second-degree murder as the case originally started or manslaughter as an option the jurors did not take the lack of premeditation and malice toward his family into account.

The jurors also failed to take into account the Best's mental health at the time. Best was detained by officers at a Swan Valley store where he was found confused and naked before being taken to the hospital in Idaho Falls to be evaluated before the murders occurred.

Best's attorney stated that if the jury had done further investigating under Idaho law they would have found that before Best's mental health breakdown, he had a good relationship with his family.

For these reasons, Best's attorney says the indictment should be dismissed and the grand jury reconvened to investigate second-degree murder and manslaughter as options.

Best is expected to be back in court on March 14 for a status conference where the state will decide if they plan to seek the death penalty.

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