Found competent for trial, Idaho man pleads not guilty in killing of pregnant wife, son
Jeremy Best has been found competent to stand trial on murder and other charges in the deaths of his pregnant wife and their 10-month-old son, and on Wednesday he entered pleas of not guilty to all counts he faces.
According to court documents, District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. received the results of a competency evaluation ordered for Best, and he was found “fit to proceed.” A virtual arraignment for Best took place Wednesday afternoon.
Best was placed on a conservatorship on Dec. 12; it’s unclear whether that is still in place. He briefly answered a few questions from the judge during the hearing, but was otherwise silent.
Best, 48, was indicted by a grand jury in Teton County on three counts of first-degree murder and three enhancements for the use of a firearm or other deadly weapon during the commission of a crime. He is accused of killing his wife, Kali Randall, her unborn baby, and their son, Zeke Best.
If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
The indictment states that Best killed Kali Randall and the fetus she was carrying by “shooting her with a firearm.” It also asserts that he killed Zeke by “inflicting an injury on Zeke Gregory Best’s neck using a knife.”
On Nov. 30, Best was seen naked in Swan Valley General store at around noon, about 30 minutes from Victor, according to authorities. Police were called, and he was taken in an ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. He was discharged that same afternoon.
The next day, Randall was found dead in Victor at the Best home. An Amber Alert was issued for 10-month-old Zeke.
On Dec. 2, Best was found naked in a sleeping bag on the side of the road in Bonneville County by a group of hunters. Zeke was found dead nearby. The hunters told Bonneville County dispatch that the man “was naked and making odd statements,” officials said.
Best made his first court appearance on Dec. 4 via Zoom and was described as shirtless, fidgety and behaving oddly during the hearing, and the court ordered that a mental competency evaluation be done.