EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
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What warnings should listeners be aware of before starting the episode?
Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.
Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.
This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.
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.
Thank you.
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.
Who was Majorjon Kaylor and what was his background?
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 flocked 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.
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Chapters
9 chapters
1
What warnings should listeners be aware of before starting the episode?
0:00–3:37
2
Who was Majorjon Kaylor and what was his background?
3:37–14:16
3
What was the living situation and relationship between the Kaler and Gardapie families?
14:16–22:58
4
What inappropriate behavior did Devin Smith exhibit and how did the community respond?
22:58–36:30
5
How did law enforcement handle the reports against Devin Smith?
36:30–44:47
6
What was the significance of the Gary Ploschet case mentioned in relation to this story?
44:47–51:32
7
What events led to the tragic shootings on June 18, 2023?
51:32–57:55
8
What happened during the police response and Majorjon Kaylor's arrest?
57:55–1:04:34
9
How did Majorjon Kaylor explain his actions during questioning?
1:04:34–1:10:59
Speakers
11 identifiedMore from Murder In America
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