Nampa woman pleads guilty to killing halfway house roommate

A Nampa woman on Monday admitted to felony first-degree murder after she was accused of beating her roommate to death with a metal pipe in a Nampa halfway house.

Kayla Teton, 25, was charged in October 2015 in the beating death of 52-year-old Linda Westmoreland. The two were roommates at Port of Hope, an alcohol and substance abuse treatment center on East Florida Avenue.

Westmoreland was found dead in her bed by Nampa police, and witnesses reported seeing Teton hit her in the head with a metal bar found nearby. Investigators at the time said they believed the pipe came from a bathroom sink.

Teton in October 2016 pleaded not guilty to the crime. Early in the case, she received a psychological evaluation to ensure she was fit to proceed.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 28, according to online court documents.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Nampa woman pleads guilty to killing halfway house roommate."