Man sentenced for violent Idaho Falls burglary where he attacked the homeowner with a hammer

IDAHO FALLS — A 23-year-old man was sentenced for taking part in a home burglary in which he attacked the homeowner with a hammer.

Kaden Ray Taylor was sentenced by Senior Judge Dane Watkins Jr. to a fixed term of two years and an indeterminate period of eight years in prison. Watkins then retained jurisdiction, placing Taylor on a “rider.”

Taylor’s rider will consist of him being sent to a prison treatment center for up to a year. When he completes the program, an evaluation of his progress will be conducted, and Watkins can then decide to send him back to prison for his full sentence or release him on probation.

RELATED | Two arrested after hammer attack and gunfire erupt during attempted burglary

Taylor initially pleaded not guilty to felonies for burglary and aggravated battery, but in May, he signed a plea agreement, where he agreed to plead guilty to one amended charge of felony burglary, in exchange for the prosecution dropping the remaining charges, and agreeing to recommend a retained jurisdiction (or rider) with an underlying sentence of fixed term of two years, and an indeterminate period of eight years in prison at sentencing.

A co-defendant, Brian Artjom Grimes, 19, was also charged in this case with felony burglary and aggravated battery. He is scheduled for a change of plea on Sept. 1.

Sentencing

The hearing began with a statement from the victim, a 61-year-old man, who said that he and his family have lived in their home for the past 30 years, never feeling unsafe until this incident.

“Until today, I have never seen or met Kaden Taylor, as far as without a mask or a hoodie,” said the victim.

The man described hearing sounds outside his house and going out at 10:12 p.m. to check, not expecting to see multiple masked men attempting to steal from his property.

“I got to the bottom of my handicap ramp, my daughter is disabled, and I got to my gravel, and the next thing I knew, I was face down in the dirt. I got hit in the back of the head,” said the victim. “I don’t know what happened, but when I got up, I looked back towards my work trailer, and there was a car and two people running at me, one with a hammer…so I turned around into my house, scared that they were going to follow me.”

The man says he was able to grab a pistol from inside his home, and when he went back outside, he tried to shoot at the suspect’s car as they were driving away, but missed.

“When I went back to my house, there was a trail of blood following me. My whole right side was bruised, there was a hole in my hand, a bump on the back of my head big enough to take a picture of, and my left foot underneath my big toe was torn open,” said the victim. “All because, I don’t know, at that point. Why did somebody target my house?”

According to the man, an ex-relative had called the group of suspects and told them to rob the victim’s home.

“My wife wouldn’t go outside for two weeks at night to take the dog to the bathroom because of what they did when they showed up at my house,” said the victim.

He then finished his statement, saying he wished he could help Taylor and his co-defendant to understand the impact of what they did when they showed up at his home that night.

“I wish there was something we could do to help these boys to understand that we bust our butts to have what we have, and it’s no right of theirs to steal,” said the victim. “It’s like 30 years of peace just flushed down the toilet.”

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Moriah Porter then spoke to the court, saying that the burglary was fueled by drugs and that Taylor was looking for a way to feed his addiction.

“Unfortunately, these crimes were offenses that were fueled by substance abuse,” said Porter. “His version of events says that he was looking for something to steal in order to feed his drug addiction. And very unfortunately, this led to a series of events where he and his accomplice ended up hitting our victim with a hammer.”

Taylor’s public defender, Marcia Murdoch, argued that Taylor had lots of challenging situations happening in his life, which caused him stress, meaning he was not in a good mental state during the burglary, and asked the court to provide him with treatment.

“What we have here is a situation where Kaden went with his friend, while Kaden was undergoing some serious issues in his own life, and he turned to drugs,” said Murdoch. “I think it’s also important for the court to also understand that in the facts of this case, I understand that (the victim) described the person in a black mask or black clothing that attacked him. That’s not what (Kaden) was wearing that night.”

Taylor provided a statement to the court, addressing the victims and telling the court that he was dealing with personal issues at the time of the crime.

“I have struggled with my addiction for years, and it led me to commit this burglary to feed my addiction,” said Taylor. “I started hanging out with the wrong group, and started using to cope. One thing led to another, and that led to me making bad choices, which left me to entering someone’s property and robbing them of their possessions and making them feel unsafe in their own home.”

Taylor continued, apologizing for his actions and expressing his desire to do better.

“Since I have been in jail, I have been bettering myself and getting a better relationship with God, and with myself,” said Taylor. “I have been learning my triggers that lead me down the wrong path, and how to find positive outlets that I can use.”

Watkins then made a few comments before pronouncing the sentence, addressing the victim and the impact this crime had on him and his family’s lives.

“I thank you for (speaking) and recognize what a disruptive, and that is such an inadequate word to use, a disruption in your life, even using the words of (Taylor), where it’s created a feeling of being unsafe in your own home, that he and his family have resided in for more than 30 years,” said Watkins. “What a frightening experience, and the anxiety that will follow.”

Watkins also addressed Taylor, explaining the other consequences of his actions that will occur, other than just him serving time.

“There’s trauma associated with your actions,” said Watkins. “You mentioned, sir, that as a result of your relapse, you began associating with people that you shouldn’t have. Where are those people today? They’re not in the courtroom. They’re not here supporting you. There are so many outcomes and consequences. Your intent may have only come to burglarize this family, but with a ravenous addiction, terrible outcomes take place.”