Idaho man fatally shot a father in a road rage incident. He faces 5 years in prison

A Caldwell man who fatally shot a father of four in a road rage incident last year will spend at least five years in prison.

Billy Lee Moore, 58, pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder for killing Cody Stanphill-Kiser, 32, of Oregon, in a binding plea deal made in March after a mediation process. The deal specified that he would serve a sentence of five years fixed, followed by 10 years indeterminate, during which he would be eligible for parole.

Third Judicial District Judge Randall Grove said Thursday that he seriously considered rejecting the agreement, which he called “unsatisfactory,” but decided to follow it after considering Moore’s community involvement, concern about protecting the friend who was with him at the time, claims that the gun had a light trigger, and the importance of preserving trust in the mediation process.

“No matter what decision I make today, it is not going to feel like justice to many of you,” he said, addressing the teary-eyed family members who filled his courtroom to watch Moore’s sentencing.

Moore ‘destroyed Cody’s family’

On April 1, 2022, Moore and a friend were driving a Mazda on the U.S. 20/26 highway. Stanphill-Kiser and his cousin were driving in a truck on the highway and pulled in front of the Mazda, forcing it to swerve to avoid an accident, Canyon County Deputy Prosecutor Ruth Coose said. As the two vehicles continued into Caldwell, their occupants yelled and gestured at each other, she told the court.

At a cafe, the truck pulled over to let the Mazda pass, Coose said, but the Mazda driver stopped instead of driving on. Stanphill-Kiser got out of the truck and hit Moore’s friend, the driver of the Mazda, in the face, then returned to his place in the passenger seat of the truck. Prosecutors said Moore retrieved his friend’s .357 revolver from the car and, while the gun was still in its holster, shot Stanphill-Kiser in the face under his right eye, killing him instantly.

“He destroyed Cody that day,” Coose said. “He destroyed Cody’s family with a single gunshot.”

The victim’s family was informed about the mediation process, she said, and the sentence the parties reached was appropriate because it meant a murder conviction and prison time, while taking into account Moore’s standing in the community and the fact that he only had one prior misdemeanor.

Moore ordered to pay restitution

Defense attorney Alex Briggs said Moore has devoted lots of time to scouting, helping 38 boys to become Eagle scouts. He was also president of a Little League baseball organization and a longtime member of the Caldwell Optimist Club, a civic group, Briggs said.

“This has had a deep impact on Billy and he prays for the (victim’s) family every day, he tells me,” his lawyer said. He read quotes from letters that described Moore as gentle, loving, generous and not someone who loses his temper.

“When I was first presented with this agreement, I thought, ‘This is really low,’” Judge Grove said. But he considered that Moore was an exemplary member of the community and was likely concerned about protecting his friend. The trigger on the double-action revolver may have felt like a “hair trigger” — as Moore described it in the pre-sentencing report — because of the adrenaline rush of the moment, Grove said. And if he rejected the deal, the mediation process would break down, he added.

“I imagine this haunts your dreams, something you’ll have to live with for the rest of your life,” he told Moore.

Karen Allm, Stanphill-Kiser’s mother, delivered a victim impact statement. “He brought a gun to a fist fight,” she said. “He stole my son’s life. He stole a father, he stole a brother, he stole a friend. I miss him and my heart will ache for the rest of my life.” The family still hasn’t been able to afford a grave marker for him, she said. A GoFundMe page set up for the family aims to raise $10,000.

Besides the prison time, Grove ordered Moore to pay restitution of at least $8,000 and a $5,000 civil penalty. “Mr. Moore, you can consider that as your contribution to getting a proper headstone for Cody,” he said.

Moore’s mother tried to hug him before bailiffs led him away, but they told her she couldn’t. In the hall outside the courtroom, after the hearing was over, Allm approached her and they embraced, both crying.