An Idaho man will spend the rest of his life in prison after shooting his pregnant wife four times in the back and slitting his 10-month-old son’s throat.
On Thursday, District Judge Dane H. Watkins Jr. sentenced 50-year-old Jeremy Albert Best to three consecutive life sentences for the murders of his son Zeke Gregory Best, 39-year-old wife Kali Best, and their unborn child Freya. In February, Jeremy Best pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of his son and second-degree murder in the deaths of his wife and Freya. Prosecutors in Teton and Bonneville said in a joint press release that the plea agreement was reached after mediation and with the participation of the victims’ families.
Teton County Prosecutor Bailey A. Smith stated that the defendant and his wife had a “rocky and quite volatile” relationship due to financial strains and his drug use. He was verbally abusive to his wife, and the pregnancy “added fuel to the fire,” Smith claimed. The text messages showed that Jeremy Best frequently discussed his financial problems and his attempts to obtain loans. He considered selling everything he owned and “leaving with just a backpack,” according to a text message from his wife.
During the three-day sentencing hearing, the judge heard from a detective who investigated the scene and a neighbor who heard gunshots from the Best property.
Smith stated that the heinous nature of Jeremy Best’s crimes warranted a life sentence.
“This isn’t just a murder case,” she said, according to a courtroom report by the Jackson Hole News & Guide. “This is a case of family annihilation caused by a defendant who made—and continues to make—dangerous, selfish decisions. “The defendant’s crimes are heinous, some of the most depraved acts the state has ever seen.”
Kali Best’s family also discussed how her death has turned their lives upside down.
“I was the first in our family to find out that one of the most beautiful humans on this earth, my sister Kali, had been horrifically murdered, that our sweet baby Freya was gone, and that the happiest, most love-filled baby boy, Zeke, was missing — all at the hands of the very person we trusted to keep her safe,” said Emma Brice, her sibling, as reported by the News Observer.
She recalled her mother’s reaction to the news.
“I can still hear my mother’s screams,” she claimed. “I hear them while I sleep. I can hear them in the quiet. And I hear them when I look at my own child and realize how fragile life is.”
As previously reported by Law&Crime, cops discovered something was wrong shortly before noon on Nov. 30, 2023, when the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office responded to a general store in Swan Valley, near the Potato State’s border with Wyoming, for a nude man walking through the store, according to a press release. EastIdahoNews.com obtained video of the man, Jeremy Best, slumping over a counter before being escorted outside. According to deputies, an ambulance transported him to a hospital for medical and mental health concerns. He was treated and released.
According to a press release, about 12 hours after the general store call, a dispatcher in nearby Teton County overheard a “disturbance” during a 911 call. Deputies rushed to the home at 4600 Skyline Loop in Victor and discovered Kali Best unresponsive. First responders declared her dead. Detectives quickly determined that Jeremy Best killed his wife and then kidnapped their son.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert for Zeke and obtained a warrant for Jeremy Best’s arrest, describing him as “armed and very dangerous.”
Around 9:17 a.m. on December 2, 2023, a group of hunters east of Idaho Falls contacted the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office after noticing a man in a sleeping bag on the side of the road.
Left: Jeremy Best. Right: Zeke Best from Idaho. Inset: Jeremy Best, Teton County Sheriff’s Office.
“The caller stated the man was naked and making odd statements,” according to a press release.
Deputies located the man and identified him as Jeremy Best before arresting him. Authorities said they found his black SUV nearby, off the road and down an embankment. They discovered Zeke dead inside.
Kali Best’s cousin, Meg Fischer, previously told local news outlets that she enjoyed living in Idaho.
“She was drawn to the mountains and made her home there. “She loved animals, especially her dogs,” Fischer said. “Motherhood was her greatest joy, and we believe she gave her life for her children. We adore her endlessly.”
