Man pleads guilty to murder after his father is stabbed to death and left under a bloody sleeping bag
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SHELLEY – A man accused of stabbing his father to death in 2020 pleaded guilty in court on Thursday.
Kayden Neale Ford, 26, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in front of District Judge Darren Simpson.
Ford initially pleaded not guilty after being charged but changed his plea as part of a plea agreement in which prosecutors agreed to recommend a prison sentence of 25 years fixed with life indeterminate.
According to Bingham County Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Jolley, the charges Ford currently faces including three felony counts of battery on jailers, felony attempting to remove a gun from a law enforcement officer and misdemeanor resisting will be dismissed as a part of the plea agreement.
Jolley said if the judge follows this agreement at sentencing, Ford would be required to serve a minimum of 25 years in prison before being considered for parole. The parole board would then control whether Ford stays in prison for the rest of his life.
According to the release, the case progressed slowly due to “multiple competency issues.”
“The defendant was ultimately restored to competency and accepted this agreement with the state,” says a release from Jolley.
Background of the case
On March 19, 2020, around 7:15 a.m., Bingham County deputies were called to a camp trailer near Base Line Road in Shelley after Ford reportedly jumped in front of a moving car.
When they arrived, deputies discovered Ford had been struck by a car driven by Andrea Jolley. The sheriff’s office says it appeared Ford had run into the roadway and wanted to be hit by the vehicle.
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While investigating, Ford’s family was notified of the crash. Deputies asked the family to tell Ford’s father, Joshua Ford, 48, that his son had been hit by a car.
Just 13 minutes later, family members found Joshua dead under a sleeping bag with a large stab wound in his chest.
His family covered the body with a blanket and waited for deputies to arrive.
Later, officers found a large black-handled kitchen knife covered in blood near Joshua’s body on the ground.
According to documents, Kayden told officers at the hospital that he didn’t remember what happened but said he and his father had an argument the night before the stabbing. He also allegedly admitted to being in the camper that morning.
Deputies collected from the emergency room a t-shirt with dried bloodstains, white shorts with bloodstains, smears and droplets of blood, and a pair of shoes with droplets of blood on them.
Deputies also noted a lot of blood spatter on Kayden’s face and head.
Later, deputies spoke to a witness who had reportedly been in contact with Kayden before Joshua’s death. She allegedly told them that Kayden said he’d been arguing with Joshua over smoking in the house, their living arrangements and wrecking a vehicle.
Kayden was booked into the Bingham County Jail on a $1 million bond, where he continued to face trouble.
Kayden’s other charges while in jail
While in jail, Ford was charged with three felony counts of battery on jailers, felony attempting to remove a gun from a law enforcement officer and misdemeanor resisting.
The charges stem from three separate alleged attacks between March 2020 and June 2021.
The first alleged attack occurred when Bingham County deputies had to take Ford to Bingham Memorial Hospital on March 24 for medical clearance before receiving an evaluation.
According to court documents, while at the hospital, Ford needed to give a urine sample when a deputy says Ford grabbed his gun. The deputy quickly yelled, “He’s got my gun,” as he prevented it from being removed from a holster.
Another deputy jumped on Ford during the struggle over the gun. One deputy used a Taser to subdue the inmate, but not without an injury to the deputy’s hand.
A few weeks later, on April 3, deputies removed Ford from his cell for medical staff to check on him. While removing him from the cell, deputies say Ford tried to land a punch and deputies took him to the ground. During a scuffle on the ground, Ford is accused of hitting one deputy on the head three times with a closed fist before they could gain control of him.
The latest incident happened June 13, 2021, when Ford allegedly attacked a jailer doing a routine patrol in his jail pod. The jailer said while talking to another inmate Ford came up and punched him in the head.
Ford’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13 at 9 a.m.