Man accused of murdering young mother appears in court, prosecutor pursuing death penalty

IDAHO FALLS – A man indicted for first-degree murder may face the death penalty, according to prosecutors.

Chris Brandon Foiles, 42, was indicted by a grand jury on one count of first-degree murder for allegedly killing Megan Ashley Stedman, 34, an enhancement for using a deadly weapon, and one count of destroying evidence.

Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal filed a notice Thursday that he intends to seek the death penalty in Foiles’ case.

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“First-degree murder is a capital offense in Idaho, but state law requires that the state give advance notice if it intends to seek the death penalty,” Neal said in a news release. “The death penalty requires a finding of at least one aggravated factor from a list found in Idaho law.”

During his district arraignment on Thursday, public defense attorney Jim Archibald entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Foiles to all charges in the indictment.

He is scheduled to appear in court for a status conference on March 5, and a jury trial is scheduled for June 10.

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If convicted, Foiles could face up to life in prison or the death penalty.

Background of the case

On Jan. 12, officers responded to Wardell Avenue in Idaho Falls after a suspicious RV was reported. Idaho Falls Police officers discovered a 1973 Dodge RV, which was being sought by Montana law enforcement in connection to a missing person case. At the time, Stedman was listed as a missing, endangered woman most recently from Bozeman.

According to Washington news station KHQ, Stedman was originally from Spokane and was the mother of two kids.

Montana law enforcement were informed and obtained a search warrant for the RV and began traveling to Idaho Falls. IFPD detectives set up unmarked vehicles to conduct surveillance on the RV.

Eventually, a sergeant and a detective from IFPD saw Foiles leaving the RV and contacted him. He reportedly told officers, “I am Chris Foiles. I killed my girlfriend. She is in the RV.”

Officers searched the RV and found Stedman’s body near the back.

During police interviews, Foiles reportedly identified the body as Stedman. He said they arrived in Idaho Falls around Dec. 22 and parked the RV on the south side of Walmart on Utah Avenue in Idaho Falls.

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During their time in the parking lot, the two got into an argument in which Foiles reportedly feared that Stedman would call the police.

According to police reports, Foiles stated he “grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed (Stedman) in the neck.”

Foiles also allegedly admitted to stabbing Stedman in the chest “with the intent to kill her.”

Foiles said he later heard Stedman using an object to hit the back window of the RV, so he allegedly “stabbed (Stedman) in her upper back area several times until she stopped moving.”

According to this timeline, Foiles lived in the RV with Stedman’s body for three weeks.