In the small town of Salmon, Idaho, the life of 32-year-old Jordan Stenersen was cut short on the evening of February 13, 2016. A female caller frantically dialed 911 around 5:30 p.m., reporting that a man had been shot at a residence just north of the city. When Lemhi County deputies arrived at the address on Highway 93 North, they found Stenersen critically injured. Alongside emergency medical personnel, the deputies administered CPR in a desperate attempt to save his life.
Stenersen, who was formerly a resident of Salmon but had been living in Minnesota, was rushed to Steele Memorial Hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led to a suspect, 29-year-old Jedidiah Barton of Boise. Barton was arrested and taken into custody at the Lemhi County Jail. Initially, he was charged with voluntary manslaughter in connection with Stenersen's death. The community was left seeking answers as to what led to the violent altercation between the two men. Stenersen's body was transported to Boise for an autopsy to officially determine the cause and manner of his death, a standard procedure in such cases.
However, the legal proceedings took an unexpected turn just days later. On February 16, 2016, the Lemhi County Prosecutor made the decision to drop the voluntary manslaughter charge against Jedidiah Barton. The dismissal was made "without prejudice," meaning that charges could be refiled in the future. The prosecutor explained that the decision was based on the need to further review forensic evidence and await the final results of the autopsy. This development left the case unresolved, with the possibility of future charges hanging in the balance, pending a more thorough examination of the evidence surrounding the final moments of Jordan Stenersen's life.
