The Boise Murder House

The Boise Murder House, located at 805 W. Linden Street in Boise, ID, is a well-known, but possibly forgotten, and eerie reminder of one of the city's most gruesome murders. Built in 1910, the house was once a grand four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home, but now stands abandoned and is falling apart. Despite its dilapidated state, the house is still said to be worth almost a million dollars and is still owned by the same family, a relative of Daniel Rodgers.  This family owned the home at the time of the murder.

The house has become something of a morbid icon in Boise, and the stories surrounding it are often difficult to separate what is fact from fiction. Some say that at one point the house was used as a frat house and that the fraternity brothers would see blood dripping down the basement walls.

The Boise Murder House is a 2-story, almost 3000 square foot, craftsman-style home. The craftsman style, inspired by the arts and crafts of America, is still popular today and is known for its focus on horizontal lines, triangular-shaped roofs, and exposed beams. They typically use local materials and showcase them.

On June 30, 1987, one of Boise's most famous and most grotesque murders took place at this home. Daniel Rodgers, who owned the home, and a friend, Daron Cox, murdered 21-year-old Preston Murr in the basement of the house. After shooting Murr to death, the two men dismembered his body with an ax and a knife, wrapped the pieces in trash bags, and drove to the border of Oregon and Idaho to dump the body in the Brownlee Reservoir.

Reportedly, Murr's body was chopped into 26 pieces after his death, and pieces of his body began to surface at the reservoir only a week later. The plastic bags and gloves used in the murder were thrown away at a Meridian, Idaho convenience store.

The murder happened after the three men got into an argument, during which Murr was shot in the shoulder. Murr attempted to escape and ran to a neighbor's home, but was dragged away before he could get help. Some say that when Murr ran to the neighbor's home he was covered in blood, adding to the neighbor's fear for his life.

While the exact reason for the argument remains unclear, some say that it may have been related to stolen guns or that Murr had been arrested for disorderly conduct earlier that day at a funeral. Rumors also suggest that Murr had called the police a few hours before the murder, claiming someone was threatening to kill him.

The Boise Murder House is a chilling reminder of the senseless violence that can occur in even the most unsuspecting places. Today, the house stands abandoned, a haunting reminder of a tragedy that occurred within its walls.