Man admits to killing Spokane mother in Bozeman, not in Idaho Falls, says prosecutor
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IDAHO FALLS — A man accused of murdering a 34-year-old Spokane mother who was found dead in an RV in Idaho Falls has admitted to investigators he killed her much earlier than initially thought and not in Idaho, according to prosecutors.
Chris Foiles, 42, was indicted in Bonneville County by a grand jury this year on one count of first-degree murder, with an enhancement for using a deadly weapon, for allegedly killing Megan Ashley Stedman, 34. He was also indicted on one count of destroying evidence.
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According to a news release from Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal, Foiles admitted to investigators Friday the murder happened earlier than he initially said, and in Gallatin County, Montana. Previously, the killing was believed to have happened in Idaho Falls, several weeks before the victim’s body was discovered.
The Bonneville County murder charge will now be dismissed and refiled in Bozeman, Montana. Foiles has since been served a Montana arrest warrant with an accompanying $1 million bond.
“Additional video evidence and a recent admission from Mr. Foiles now indicate the homicide actually occurred earlier and in a different place than he initially stated,” says Neal in the 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.”
An exact timeline, including Stedman’s date of death, has not been released, but Foiles allegedly lived in the RV near the Idaho Falls Walmart with Stedman’s body for three weeks. It is now believed he was in the RV with Stedman’s body for much longer.
According to Neal, one charge of destroying evidence in Idaho will likely remain in place, but the remaining Idaho charges will be dismissed.
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“The discovery of Ms. Stedman’s body and the interview of Mr. Foiles was only the beginning of the investigation,” Neal explained. “A thorough investigation is being conducted cooperatively between detectives from the Idaho Falls Police, Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Bozeman Police and the Montana State University Police.”
It is unclear why the Montana State University Police is involved or if a crime occurred on school property.
“The Gallatin County Attorney’s office filed homicide charges against Foiles on Friday, March 1,” says Gallatin County Prosecuting Attorney Audrey Cromwell in the release. “Montana law enforcement is working with Idaho authorities to extradite Foiles to Montana.”
Foiles is expected to appear in court on Monday for a hearing to determine when and how he will be extradited to Bozeman.
Background
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 from Spokane who has last been seen in Bozeman.
According to police reports, 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.”
Stedman, a mother of two kids, was found dead in the back of the vehicle.
Foiles reportedly identified the body as Stedman, and said they arrived in Idaho Falls around Dec. 22 and parked the RV on the south side of the Walmart on Utah Avenue in Idaho Falls.