SANDPOINT — Nine months after killing his grandfather, a Bonner County man was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison for the crime, with mental health being a significant factor in the crime.  

Jeremiah J.R. Kiley, 30, was sentenced before a full courtroom by Judge Lamont Berecz to a total of 30 years with 15 years fixed and 15 indeterminate. The sentence was accepted as part of a Rule 11 plea agreement, binding the court to an agreed-upon sentence and eliminating Kiley’s right to appeal.  

As part of the plea agreement, a second-degree murder charge was changed to voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon enhancement. Kiley received the maximum penalty for the crime.  

Despite the agreement, arguments were heard from both sides of the case, with a victim impact statement read at the beginning by the victim’s family member, outlining Kiley’s perceived cruel behaviors in the killing of 69-year-old Joseph Reyes.  

“Nothing will be good enough to punish you for what you took from all of us. His family and friends will never be the same. He was such a loving person. He was the one person anyone could call because we all knew he would drop everything to help any way he could,” the impact statement read.  

The woman reading the statement outlined Reyes as being a dependable figure in his family’s lives — a man anyone could count on, a man who would give anything to his family. In her statement, she related Kiley as the opposite, only taking from Reyes until he ultimately took his life.  

“This is the kind of person you are. Take, take, take. Eventually, it turned into taking the life of the only person whom you could call and always receive help. Totally gross and terribly sad. He was that person that everyone called. You took that from all of us and left us with a horrible person you turned out to be,” the statement read.  

Both prosecutor Louis Marshall and defense attorney Catherine Enright said the crime was a result of severe mental illness that was improperly treated. Both agreed the plea deal was appropriate given the Kiley’s mental illnesses, bipolar disorder, chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, cannabis abuse and schizotypal personality disorder, as outlined in the sentencing hearing. An alleged history of family abuse was also a mitigating factor, though Marshall said those claims aren’t known for certain due to Reyes being unable to speak for himself.  

Marshall also argued that, at the end of the day, life was lost due to Kiley’s actions.  

“Mr. Reyes tried. He was basically the only one who took him in when no one else really was at the time and tried in the best way he could. He certainly did not deserve to die that day,” Marshall said. “I do think that unmedicated, Mr. Kiley is definitely a danger to society. He has proven that, and that’s one of the reasons for the request of the sentence.” 

Enright added to her argument that Kiley claimed he was acting in self-defense the day he killed Reyes due to prior conflicts the pair had shared. She noted that Reyes said he pointed a gun at Kiley in self-defense, though she said the true nature of the incident was only known by Reyes and Kiley.  

“Jeremiah has alleged all along that there was a struggle, and that Joe went for a gun, and that he essentially felt that he had to kill or be killed,” Enright said. “We do recognize that there may have been a self-defense claim here, but we also recognize that a jury may have found him guilty of second-degree murder for something that Jeremiah has very clearly stated he did not intend to do and wouldn't have done had the circumstances not been what they were.” 

Before Berecz handed down the sentence, he noted that the killing might have been prevented had Kiley gotten the mental health treatment he needed. However, he said that it wasn’t an actual defense to the charge.  

“Being delusional and even psychotic, those aren’t really defenses to this charge at a higher level. As long as you had some rational understanding of what you were doing, that you were killing a human being, which you certainly understand by your own statements,” Berecz said.  

Berecz further said he didn’t believe Kiley’s claims of self-defense but recognized his potential state of mind as being under the influence of drugs and “likely somewhat psychotic and delusional.” 

“What actually happened, how it went down, I don't know, but I do know that you brutally murdered your grandfather,” Berecz said.  

Kiley will get credit for 245 days served and will remain in prison for 15 years before being eligible for parole.  

Kiley was arrested Jan. 6 after law enforcement found Reyes deceased inside his residence in the Samuels area. Documents indicate that Kiley called police a day after the incident, claiming self-defense.      

Court documents indicate that during the 911 call, Kiley disclosed that Reyes had been “acting crazy” despite taking his medications, which resulted in him allegedly acting in self-defense and hitting Reyes in the head with a hatchet. 

During Kiley’s call, an additional call was received notifying authorities of Kiley’s alleged actions.    

Documents further contend that Kiley and Reyes had an altercation the evening of Jan. 5, where Kiley told law enforcement that Reyes had allegedly pointed a gun at him during a “schizophrenic episode.” Kiley told officials that he feared he would reach for more guns that were supposedly hidden throughout their shared residence and attacked Reyes out of self-defense, ultimately using the hatchet to “stop his suffering.”