Boise Greenbelt murder case: A young man killed, a troubled suspect. What to know

A 25-year-old man riding his scooter home was fatally stabbed on the Boise River Greenbelt on July 6, setting off a criminal case that revealed a suspect’s long history in court.

A second violent incident occurred on the pathway not long after.

And a political fight emerged over a camping-ban law that Idaho Republicans tried to link to the homicide. Here is a recap of what has unfolded.

• Jordan Harbst, 25, was ambushed and stabbed to death early July 6 while riding a scooter home along the Greenbelt, prosecutors said. His family remembered him as “one of Boise’s brightest lights,” adding that they are “devastated and completely heartbroken.”
• Ross Wardlaw, a 41-year-old man experiencing homelessness who frequently slept on the Greenbelt, confessed to the killing, Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Robert Bleazard said in court. Wardlaw told investigators he acted on paranoia that people on scooters were after him, Bleazard said; he is charged with first-degree murder and held without bond.
• Wardlaw’s criminal history spans more than two decades and includes at least half a dozen battery charges, though a jury unanimously acquitted him in May on aggravated battery and assault charges from a June 2025 incident — just two months before Harbst’s death.
• Idaho House Speaker Mike Moyle and Rep. Bruce Skaug blamed the city of Boise for the killing, saying officials failed to enforce a 2025 state law banning public camping in large cities, and said legal options against the city are under review.
• Mayor Lauren McLean called the lawmakers’ criticism “political grandstanding” and “political theater”, saying the city has reduced unsheltered homelessness by 25% in the past year and needs partnership from the state, not finger-pointing.
• In a separate case, five days after the killing, Boise police arrested 26-year-old Javier Ortiz of Ontario, Oregon, on suspicion of assault and kidnapping after he allegedly grabbed a woman walking alone near South Ferguson Street and pulled her off the path before a resident intervened. He’s being held on a $1 million bond.
• Boise police are increasing patrols along the Greenbelt with bicycle officers, school resource officers and night-shift officers, though Lt. Corey Smith said Boise remains “a very safe place to live.”
• The city has spent nearly $2 million on Greenbelt safety improvements over the past four years, Parks and Recreation Director Sara Arkle said. But the stretches near North 11th Street and South Ferguson Street — where the two attacks happened — lack continuous lighting.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.