New details after new homicide and animal cruelty charges filed against man accused of murdering Spokane mother
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IDAHO FALLS – New details describe how a 42-year-old man reportedly killed a Spokane, Washington mother and lived with her body for nearly a month.
Chris Foiles has been charged in Gallatin County, Montana, with felony deliberate homicide for the death of Megan Stedman, 34. He’s also been charged with misdemeanor aggravated animal cruelty, misdemeanor theft of identity, felony tampering with or fabricating of physical evidence, misdemeanor violation of a no-contact order and misdemeanor obstructing a peace officer or other public servant.
Foiles has been incarcerated in the Bonneville County Jail since Jan. 12, after allegedly being found in an RV with Stedman’s body. A local grand jury indicted him on Jan. 26 for charges of first-degree murder, an enhancement for using a deadly weapon, and one count of destroying evidence.
Now those charges are being dismissed, after Foiles admitted to authorities the crime didn’t occur in Idaho Falls.
Monday’s hearing
According to Foiles’ current public defender, Jim Archibald, the Bonneville County indictment charges will be officially dismissed Monday or Tuesday.
During a hearing in Bonneville County on Monday over Zoom, Foiles signed all extradition papers in front of Magistrate Judge Wiley Dennert, agreeing to be taken by Montana law enforcement to Gallatin County to appear in court on his new charges.
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Foiles is expected to be extradited within the next 30 days. Before extradition, he is scheduled to appear in Bonneville County for a status conference on March 26.
According to a news release from Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal, detectives from the Idaho Falls Police, Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Bozeman Police, and the Montana State University Police have been working together on the investigation.
It is not yet clear why the Montana State University Police are part of the investigation, or if a crime occurred on campus.
New details
According to court documents from Gallatin County, a detective with the Montana State University Police Department was assigned to the Bozeman Special Victims Unit and given responsibility for Stedman’s missing person’s case.
The detective learned Stedman was traveling between Spokane and Colorado with her dog, Cali, and her boyfriend, Foiles, in a 1973 white Dodge RV they bought together.
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The detective learned the RV had broken down near Livingston, Montana and was parked at the Town Pump sometime in late summer or early fall 2023.
Court documents say Stedman and Foiles had a “contentious relationship,” leading to Foiles’ arrest on Nov. 11 for felony partner family member assault in Livingston.
According to a report from the Livingston Police Department, Foiles told Stedman “You’re a dumb b**** and dumb b****** don’t deserve to live.” Foiles was released on Dec. 8 after posting bond.
Stedman’s family told the detective Megan had not contacted her family in weeks and her phone had been shut off since Dec. 16.
According to police reports, someone had used Stedman’s phone to make “numerous CashApp requests to friends asking for money for various reasons.”
The detective found security footage from the Walmart in Bozeman of the two entering together on Dec. 15, violating a no-contact order to protect Stedman from Foiles.
After the two leave Walmart, Stedman is reportedly never confirmed to be seen again. On Dec. 15, Foiles is seen entering Walmart again, this time alone.
He reportedly purchased “an area rug, paper towels, pliers/box cutter combination, zip lock bags, bleach/cleaner, spray paint, duct tape, a lock, bolt cutters, a hack saw, drywall saw, gorilla grip gloves, paracord, 55-gallon contractor bags, and various food and hardware items.”
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In the video, Foiles is reportedly seen with a bandage on his left middle finger, as well as “other small lacerations on his hands.”
Police reports say his boots were “scuffed and dirty” although they appeared clean the previous day.
That same day, multiple CashApp requests were sent to close friends from Stedman’s phone. Her friends reportedly told the detective they were “unusual” and suspected it was not Stedman sending the messages.
Around 8 p.m., Stedman’s cell phone was reportedly turned off and never turned back on.
On Dec. 16, Foiles entered Walmart again, returning some of the items he bought the day before.
He then returned to the RV, before going back into Walmart and allegedly buying, “multiple gallons of water, scent killer, Great Value brand cleaner, bleach, hand towels, more tape, spray paint and curtains.”
Exterior footage from Walmart reportedly shows Foiles later in the day, moving the RV from the southwest corner of the parking lot to the north end of the lot.
The RV reportedly now had a blacked-out rear window and damage repaired to the middle/passenger side of the glass.
On Dec. 19, the RV was seen at a gas station in Island Park. From photos obtained at the gas station, red accents on the RV had been spray-painted blue, and stickers were put on the rear of the RV.
The detective confirmed Foiles had purchased the spray paint and stickers at the Bozeman Walmart.
On Jan. 10, the detective contacted Foiles’ bondsman, who said he had been “evading” the check-in system to “throw law enforcement off his trail” according to court documents.
On Jan. 12, Idaho Falls Police officers responded to Wardell Avenue in Idaho Falls after an RV was reported as suspicious.
Detectives with the Bozeman Police Department responded, and law enforcement confirmed it was Stedman’s 1973 Dodge RV.
Eventually, Foiles exited the RV, allegedly telling officers, “My name is Chris Foiles, I killed my girlfriend, she’s in the RV.” Foiles was then taken into custody.
According to court documents, officers searched the RV, finding Stedman’s body, which could not immediately be identified due to the physical condition.
Foiles reportedly admitted to using a kitchen knife to stab Stedman, which was found in the RV. He also told police Stedman tried to break out the back window to escape him, causing damage.
According to Foiles, he “knew Stedman was going to succumb to the wounds he inflicted, but noted she was still moving in the back of the RV,” so he stabbed her “numerous times” until “she stopped moving.”
At this time, he told officers Stedman was killed in the Walmart parking lot in Idaho Falls. Prosecutors now say it happened in Bozeman beforehand.
“A recent admission from Mr. Foiles now indicate the homicide actually occurred earlier and in a different place than he initially stated,” says Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal in a news release. “Based on further investigation by Idaho and Montana law enforcement officers, prosecutors now believe that the Megan Stedman homicide occurred in Bozeman, Montana, rather than in Idaho Falls, Idaho.”
During a prior interview with Foiles, he reportedly told officers Stedman’s dog, Cali, had “mysteriously gone missing.” He also said he took the SIM card out of Stedman’s phone and buried it in a Bozeman park to keep it from being tracked.
He reportedly later admitted to killing the dog, but did not say how or when.
On Feb. 8, officers contacted the Bozeman detective, saying Foiles had revealed new details about the murder during a jail.
Foiles reportedly stated they had a physical fight that resulted in him “pinning” Stedman to the ground in a “sexually aggressive” way. He told police Stedman seemed fearful Foiles was going to rape her.
He told officers he got off her a short time later and left the RV, and Stedman locked him out. Foiles then “bust(ed) through the door” leading to the stabbing.
EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to the Montana State University Police, Bozeman Police Department and the city of Bozeman for comment, and we have not heard back yet.