TETON COUNTY, Idaho — New information about the Victor homicide case continues to come to light.
Jeremy Albert Best was arrested on Saturday, Dec. 2, in connection to the death of his pregnant wife, Kali Randall Best. He faces two counts of first-degree murder. Appearing via Zoom from Bonneville County Jail, where he will remain until his arraignment in that county, Best heard his charges read by Teton County Magistrate Judge Jason Walker on Monday, Dec. 4.
A recording of the court appearance published by East Idaho News shows Best appearing to become emotional as Walker reads his charges.
“The nature of these crimes is as serious as they come,” Teton County Prosecuting Attorney Bailey Smith said at the hearing. “The murders of Kali Randall Best and her unborn child are arguably the most horrific crimes committed in Teton County in recent history.”
Best’s public defenders, R. James Archibald and John Michael Rousseau Malek, requested that the court order a competency review, which would evaluate Best’s mental health and determine whether he is fit to stand trial. The request was granted by the judge.
According to a press release by the Prosecuting Attorney’s office, “The initial Criminal Complaint charged Mr. Best with two counts of Murder in the Second Degree. As the investigation developed in this case, the charges were amended to two counts of Murder in the First Degree.”
Court documents obtained by Buckrail have filled out some context surrounding the evening of Randall Best’s death.
An affidavit written by the Teton County Idaho Deputy Sheriff states that an officer was dispatched to Randall Best’s home in Victor at approximately 11:41 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30, which would be roughly two minutes after they received the hang-up 911 call.
“Upon further review of the 911 call recording, prior to a dispatcher answering the line, a female can be heard repeating ‘Jeremy’ and ‘Jeremy no’ and there are sounds of a disturbance,” the affidavit reads. “A male voice repeats ‘yes’ in response, and then yells ‘get the f— back, you’re gonna get shot’ followed by ‘I love you, I love you, I love you.’ No one is on the line when dispatch picks up the call.”
A deputy arrived at the residence around 11:55 p.m., per the document. En route, he noted passing a vehicle exiting Skyline Loop and heading west with a license plate beginning 1T39. (Best was found near a Chevrolet with license plate 1T39349.)
The affidavit describes the property at 4600 Skyline Loop as including a residence situated between two “shops,” which are located to the north and south of the property. Best owned Jeremy’s Auto Repair and Randall Best was a silversmith.
After arriving at the residence, the deputy walked along the west side of the north shop until he noticed an individual standing across the street. The individual identified himself as the across-the-street neighbor, who had heard a disturbance coming from the house. He stated he knew of the couple who resided there, and knew they had an infant. The neighbor told the deputy “he recognized Kali yell, ‘Jeremy stop it, you have a baby!’ … He then heard about five gunshots that sounded like they came from outside,” according to the document. The neighbor also reported witnessing a black vehicle leave the property.
After no response to door-knocking at the residence, the deputy walked down the driveway, where he located a non-responsive female, later identified as Kali Randall Best, on the ground near the east side of the north shop. The deputy reported observing what appeared to be gunshot wounds. He attempted CPR. The shooter and the child were not located. They began the process to issue an Amber Alert.
Other notable findings from the residence include: a black revolver, a leather pistol holder nearby, a cell phone on the floor “that was bent in half with the glass broken” and “a large gun safe in the master bedroom with the door open.”
The affidavit also notes that exterior cameras were present on the property, and that the deputy found that the power had been shut off to the residence via the exterior breaker box.
