Idaho Falls man sentenced for killing and burying his fiancee

IDAHO FALLS — Christin Caldwell could be enjoying the fall and getting ready for Halloween with her sisters, children and grandchildren.

Instead, her family members spent Wednesday morning at the sentencing hearing for the man who strangled 48-year-old Caldwell to death then buried her body in the basement of her Bonneville County home.

Jeremy White, 39, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in July as part of a plea agreement. He was sentenced Wednesday to 45 years in prison with 15 years fixed time and 30 year indeterminate, EastIdahoNews.com reported.

White had been in a long-term relationship with Caldwell and killed her following an argument late Nov. 7 or early Nov. 8. He then buried her in the basement in clean pajamas, jewelry and a makeshift grave, according to Bonneville County Prosecutor Danny Clark.

White showed no emotion during the 45-minute hearing and had nothing to say when asked if he wanted to make a statement. When Holly Collidge, Caldwell’s sister, read from a victim’s impact statement, White stared at the table in front of him.

“I do not forgive you and I will not forgive you. I hate you more than I have hated anyone or anything in my life. You are not just responsible for the death of my sister but the death of my mother who died three months to the day after Christin died,” Collidge said. “I hope prison is horrible. I hope it’s the stuff nightmares are made of and I hope when judgment day comes you rot in hell.”

Caldwell’s family members and friends packed into the courtroom and many sobbed throughout the proceedings.

“My daughter asks me every day where my mom is,” Cynthia Littleford, Caldwell’s daughter, said during the hearing. “I can’t even take her to daycare without thinking of my mom. People tell me it will get easier every day but so far it hasn’t.”

After White killed and buried Caldwell, he cleaned up the house and tried to hide evidence, according to Clark. He then contacted Deena Aday, a woman he was having an affair with, and left Idaho for Oregon.

“They got rid of their phones in Oregon before going to Nevada where the defendant was going to see his father one last time before they disappeared forever,” Clark said.

White was captured by authorities in Nevada and extradited back to Idaho in late November.

“There is no justification, no explanation that makes sense on this case,” Clark said. “He simply could have walked away. We have children who will grow into mature hood without their mother. We have grandchildren who either won’t ever know or won’t know long enough their grandmother.”

The average sentence in an Idaho second-degree murder case with someone who has the same age and criminal record as White is 11-30 years, according to Clark.

White’s attorney, Jordan Crane, said the 45-year prison sentence is fair and mentioned that his client asked Crane not to provide excuses for what happened.

“Over the last nine months that I’ve come to know Mr. White…not once did he try to disparage Christin’s memory,” Crane said. “Not once did he try to make himself look like a victim or explain away what had happened.”

In issuing his sentence, Pickett said this was a “horrific crime with bizarre behavior” and told White a few times that he simply could have walked away before killing Caldwell.

“You were having an affair but I think you got used to (Caldwell) taking care of you. You were in a good situation but you also didn’t want any obligations,” Pickett said, adding that no sentence will change the results for Caldwell’s family.

In addition to prison time, White was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine to the state of Idaho and a $5,000 fine to Caldwell’s family. A no-contact order for several members of Caldwell’s family will remain in effect until Sept. 20, 2062.

Aday was charged with felony accessory and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 28.

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