Getting Into Idaho True Crime: A Practical Guide
If you want to research or watch coverage of the worst murders in Idaho, you're looking at a fairly niche corner of true crime media. The state has had some genuinely brutal cases over the decades, and the online content around them is scattered across multiple platforms. Here's how to actually find what you're looking for without wasting time. The biggest single resource right now is the YouTube channel that uses the exact phrase Idaho Worst Murders in its branding. It covers cases like the Kelsey and Timmy Glaser murder in 2011, the Chleyce and Chelsi Hall case from 2012, and several cold cases from the 1980s and 1990s. The production quality is amateur but the case research is surprisingly thorough for most episodes. I've watched maybe thirty hours of their content across all their videos and the ones that stand out are the ones where they actually follow up on case developments instead of just recapping what happened. The channel isn't affiliated with any official law enforcement body. That matters because it means they sometimes get details wrong, especially on older cases where records were poorly maintained. I ran into this when I was fact-checking their episode on the 1994 Boise duplex murders. The timeline they presented had two events reversed, which changed how the suspect's alibi was evaluated. I cross-referenced with court documents from the Ada County Clerk's office and found the correct sequence. If you care about accuracy, grab the docket numbers they cite and look up the original filings.
Where Else to Look
Beyond that one channel, you've got the Idaho Statesman's true crime coverage, which is actually the most reliable source available. They publish detailed articles with primary source citations. Their database goes back to the 1970s. Then there's the IDAHOSOLVED project, a volunteer-driven effort to organize unsolved Idaho homicide cases. It's not polished but it has information you won't find anywhere else, particularly for cases from rural counties where local news coverage was minimal. Podcast-wise, there's a show called Murder in the Magic Valley that covers southern Idaho cases in depth. Another one, True Crime Idaho, does shorter episodes but frequently covers cases the big national podcasts ignore. The problem with most true crime podcasts is they only touch the most famous cases. Idaho's worst murders by body count include the 1983 Canyon County killings where four people were murdered in a farmhouse, and that one barely gets mentioned outside state-level sources.
What Actually Happened in the Biggest Cases
The Glaser case is probably the most well-known. A father killed his two children and then himself in 2011. The mother, Amber Glaser, survived because she was at school that day. The case got national attention because of the timing and the motive related to marital problems. The aftermath involved a custody dispute that predated the killings, which is something most summaries gloss over but was actually central to the investigation. The Hall sisters case from 2012 involved two women found dead in their home. The killer was a man they'd met through an online dating app. The investigation took over a year because the initial responders didn't secure the scene properly. I've seen this happen with smaller agencies across Idaho. When a body is found in a rural area, the closest sheriff's department responds and sometimes lacks the forensic resources that urban departments have. Evidence gets contaminated or lost before the state police crime lab gets involved. This is one of the real structural problems with Idaho's criminal justice system that nobody talks about much.
Get the Full Details
Downloadable Case Files
There's no official centralized database you can download. What exists is the Idaho Department of Correction's victim notification system, which you can register for if you're directly affected by a case. For researchers, the Idaho State Archives holds historical case files but access requires a formal request and often a visit to the Boise facility. I've submitted requests before and the turnaround is usually six to eight weeks. The files themselves are mostly arrest records, press clippings, and occasionally victim impact statements. Murder books with full investigative detail are generally not public record unless they've been released through a court proceeding. The IDAHOSOLVED project does have a Google Sheet they maintain publicly with case summaries, links to news articles, and contact information for investigators who are still active on cold cases. It's not exhaustive but it's the closest thing to a centralized resource. The spreadsheet gets updated monthly and you can search by county, year, and case status.
A Word of Caution
Not everything online about Idaho murders is accurate. Social media accounts repost case details without verification. Reddit threads about specific cases often contain speculation presented as fact. I've seen entire discussion threads built on incorrect information from a single misread police report. If you're researching for anything beyond casual interest, always go back to primary sources: court records, official press releases, and newspaper archives. The Idaho Statesman's digital archive from 2000 onward is freely searchable and is hands-down the best starting point for any case from the modern era. Also worth noting: some of these cases involve real victims and real families. The content out there can be genuinely disturbing, and consuming it without any framework for processing it is not a good experience. A lot of the YouTube channels treat these cases as entertainment. That's fine if that's what you want, but don't pretend it's something else. The families of victims in Idaho have had to deal with their tragedies being turned into background music for ten-hour video essays. Keep that in mind.
