Quadruple Homicide Suspect in Idaho Ruled Competent for Trial

It was a story that stunned Southern Idaho in early July as news of a trail of murders was shared by authorities. It began as a single murder in Rupert, Idaho. Within a few hours, three other victims were found murdered.

All four murders were linked to the same suspect, 56-year-old Ben Naylor. Each homicide victim had gunshot wounds to the head. Keep reading to see the latest updates and the original timeline of events.

Quadruple Homicide Suspect Competent for Trial, No Preliminary Hearing

The homicides happened in Cassia and Minidoka Counties on July 8th, 2025. Naylor was arrested following a traffic stop in Lincoln County. Naylor was charged with 4 counts of first-degree murder. Preliminary hearings were set for July 18th in Cassia County and July 23rd in Minidoka, but the mental state of the suspect was questioned.

In late October, court judges in Minidoka and Cassia County ruled that Naylor was competent to stand trial. With hopes of a plea deal, Naylor waived his right to a preliminary hearing. His arraignment hearing is scheduled for December 23rd in Cassia County and December 23rd in Minidoka County.

Comments across various social media posts have shared mixed reactions to the idea of a plea deal.

These are the 10 Most Dangerous Locations in Idaho

In a list from the Only In Your State website, they have ranked the 10 most dangerous and deadly places in Idaho and the top of the list is owned by Blue Lakes Blvd in Twin Falls, ID followed not far behind by The Perrine Bridge.

Gallery Credit: Credit N8

Most Embarrassing Idaho Town Names

We'd like to shake the hand of whoever was in charge of naming these places. Then we would 100 percent wash our hands multiple time to make sure they were clean.

Gallery Credit: Credit N8

Filed Under: murder