BOISE, Idaho — The man now charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 25-year-old Jordan Harbst was acquitted by a jury just two months earlier in a separate felony case.
Idaho News 6 spoke exclusively with Douglas Crane, one of the jurors who voted to acquit Ross Wardlaw in May.
"When I left, I actually kind of felt sort of sick about it," Crane said. "Here's a guy that punched somebody in the face and we just let him off, but we had to acquit him."
WATCH: How one juror reacted when he recognized Wardlaw's name after the Greenbelt murder arrest.
Crane said he recognized Wardlaw's name while watching Idaho News 6's coverage after police announced an arrest in the July death.
"I was watching on the news, 'Hey, I know that guy. I recognize that name. That's the same guy,'" Crane said. "I felt really bad about Jordan's family."
Wardlaw is now charged with first-degree murder in Harbst's death. Prosecutors allege the two men were strangers and have said Wardlaw later admitted to the stabbing after his arrest.
READ MORE | Family remembers Jordan Harbst as ‘one of Boise’s brightest lights’ after Greenbelt killing
Earlier this year, Crane served on the jury that acquitted Wardlaw of aggravated battery and aggravated assault stemming from a 2025 confrontation near Interfaith Sanctuary in downtown Boise.
Idaho News 6 reviewed the criminal complaint and listened to the opening statements from that trial at the Ada County Courthouse.
Prosecutors argued Wardlaw punched another man, breaking his nose, before threatening an Interfaith Sanctuary employee with a knife. The defense did not dispute that Wardlaw threw the punch or later possessed a knife. Instead, Wardlaw's attorney argued he acted in self-defense after the other man grabbed him by the collar.
Crane said the case ultimately came down to whether prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Wardlaw's actions weren't self-defense.
"Nobody saw anything; it became a he said, he said," Crane said. "There wasn't enough evidence... so what do you do?"
Jurors also felt prosecutors didn't prove the aggravated assault charge as filed. After deliberating over parts of two days, the jury returned not guilty verdicts.
As part of the process, jurors are not informed about prior criminal history and are instructed to decide the case solely on the evidence presented during trial.
"You have to look at that particular incident and go with what the rules and guidelines are from the court," Crane said.
Wardlaw remains held without bond in the greenbelt murder case and is expected back in court July 20.
