BOISE, Idaho — The man charged with murder in connection with a fatal stabbing on the Boise Greenbelt was interviewed by Idaho News 6 last month, when we highlighted cooling services available at local shelters during the extreme heat.
Ross Allen Wardlaw Jr. is accused of fatally stabbing 25-year-old Jordan Harbst multiple times on the Boise Greenbelt early Monday morning. Boise police arrested Wardlaw on Thursday at Corpus Commons, a shelter in downtown Boise within walking distance of the crime scene, which is on the Greenbelt behind The Arid Club near 11th Street.
WATCH | Idaho News 6 interviewed Greenbelt murder suspect last month—
Downtown Neighborhood Reporter Sahana Patel spoke with Wardlaw in June at Corpus Commons, where he was among shelter guests using resources to stay cool during extreme heat.
"And then, uh, there's the river over here too. It's just, it's really good to be able to be at a place where it'll keep you from being exposed to the elements," Wardlaw said.
Staff at the shelter said they knew him as "RJ" and had no previous issues with him at their facility. Wardlaw told Idaho News 6 he has lived in Boise since he was a middle schooler in the 1990s.
"Are you currently experiencing homelessness?" Patel asked during the June interview.
"Yes, yes, ma'am. Since I got out of prison in 2012," Wardlaw replied.
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Public court records show a lengthy criminal history dating back more than 20 years. He pleaded guilty to battery in 2004 but was released on probation before violations sent him back to Idaho State Prison for seven years.
Records also show Wardlaw was charged with battery again last summer and was in and out of custody — and a behavioral health facility — over the last year, before a jury acquitted him on aggravated assault and battery charges in May.
His Thursday arrest is one of the first steps in what could be a lengthy judicial process. Wardlaw is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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