Prosecutor: Suspect in Boise Greenbelt killing confessed, is ‘a danger to everyone’
The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office has strong evidence to convict the man accused of killing someone on the Boise Greenbelt this week, a longtime deputy prosecuting attorney said in court Friday.
After being read his rights, Ross Wardlaw — accused of first-degree murder in the death of Jordan Harbst — admitted to stabbing the 25-year-old to death, Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Robert Bleazard told the presiding judge Friday afternoon. Investigators also found the fixed-blade knife that Wardlaw said was the murder weapon, Bleazard said.
Harbst, of Boise, was riding a scooter home along the Greenbelt early Monday morning after spending time with his friend downtown — a route he regularly took — when Wardlaw, 41, stepped into his path, knocked him off the scooter and stabbed him to death, Bleazard said.
Wardlaw is homeless and frequently sleeps on the Greenbelt, Bleazard said.
“This was not a fight, and it wasn’t a confrontation,” Bleazard said in court. “The victim was ambushed.”
Officers form the Boise Police Department found Harbst’s body at around 7:30 a.m. Monday near after receiving reports of an “unresponsive man” on the Greenbelt, the agency said in a news release. Investigators closed the popular pathway on the north side near 11th Street and the Pioneer Pathway for more than 12 hours as they collected and processed evidence.
Bleazard asked 4th District Magistrate Judge Michael Dean to hold Wardlaw in custody at the Ada County Jail without bond, a request Judge Dean granted.
“This was a random attack on a stranger,” Bleazard said. “The defendant’s own stated reason for it was generalized paranoia that people on scooters were after him — a belief that has really no basis on anything that Jordan did.”
“A person who kills a stranger at random for no rational reason that he can articulate is a danger to everyone.”
If someone could potentially face the death penalty — a possibility for a first-degree murder charge — they can be held without bond under state law. Wardlaw’s public defender, Dave Smethers, reserved his right to argue a bond amount at his client’s next hearing, which was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. July 20.
Boise Police Chief Chris Dennison, in a Thursday night news release announcing Wardlaw’s arrest, said the department’s hearts were with the young man’s family and friends.
“Detectives, officers and professional staff have been working around the clock to find answers and locate the person responsible for Jordan’s tragic death,” he wrote. “A crime of this nature is rare for the city of Boise, and we recognize the fear that a violent incident like this brings to our community. As a department we are committed to not only ensuring your safety but also your peace of mind.”
Harbst’s parents and younger sister told the Idaho Statesman they’d be holding a candlelight vigil at 11:59 p.m. Friday on the Greenbelt between 11th Street and Pioneer Pathway.
“One of Boise’s brightest lights was stolen,” his family said. “We are devastated and completely heartbroken.”
This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 3:49 PM.
