BURLEY, ID – Benjamin Roy Naylor has pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder under a plea agreement reached with the Cassia County and Minidoka County Prosecutor’s Offices, officials announced Monday.
Naylor entered guilty pleas in District Court to two counts of first-degree murder in Cassia County and two counts of first-degree murder in Minidoka County. The Minidoka County case was transferred to Cassia County for the plea and sentencing phases and assigned a new case number.
Under the terms of the agreement, the state will not seek the death penalty. Naylor will be sentenced to two fixed life sentences in each county, with the sentences running concurrently within each county’s case and consecutively between the two counties’ cases. Prosecutors said Naylor has waived all rights to appeal, ensuring he will spend the remainder of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A hearing was held Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Cassia County, where the plea agreement was formally presented to and accepted by the court. Following the hearing, District Judge Blaine P. Cannon ordered a pre-sentence investigation report to be prepared by the Idaho Department of Corrections. Sentencing is scheduled for March 9, 2026, at 1:15 p.m. in Courtroom One of the Cassia County Judicial Center in Burley.
Prosecutors said the families of the four victims were consulted throughout the process and approved the resolution.
Cassia County Prosecuting Attorney McCord Larsen said the agreement ensures Naylor will never be released from prison and spares the victims’ families years of trial proceedings and appeals. Minidoka County Prosecuting Attorney Lance Stevenson said the resolution brings a measure of closure to a tragedy that deeply affected the community and noted the collaboration between the two offices.
Naylor, 56, had previously been charged with four counts of first-degree murder following a joint investigation in Cassia and Minidoka counties. Authorities said the charges stemmed from the deaths of four individuals across the two jurisdictions.
Naylor was taken into custody July 8 during a traffic stop conducted by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Idaho State Police. He was ordered held without bond, and a state public defender was appointed to represent him in both counties.
The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Rupert Police Department, Minidoka County Sheriff’s Office, Cassia County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Heyburn Police Department, Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police.
