BOISE, Idaho — Ten years ago, a neighborhood on the Boise Bench was shaken by the arson and murder of a 74-year-old woman. Nearly a decade later, her family continues to look for answers to who killed her.
Meaningful antiques and pictures are scattered around Jennifer Holley's living room. They used to belong to her mother, Phyllis Ward.
"She was just a really good mom and grandmother and just really enjoyed life," Holley said.
Holley said along with collecting antiques, her mom enjoyed sewing, dancing and traveling. She and her mom used to do a lot of those things together.
"We'd always go to her house, it was a nice giant yard. We would go sledding and garden and do flowerpots," Holley said. "It was really great."
While she has a lot of great memories, painful ones still surround her mother.
"It's really affected me for a long time. I can't believe it's been 10 years. I'm ready and I want to solve this case," Holley said.
Ward was found dead inside her Boise Bench home on Randolph Drive after it caught fire on July 23, 2012.
The Ada County Coroner said Ward was a victim of foul play and determined Ward's death as a homicide. An autopsy revealed she suffered multiple blows to the head from a blunt force object before the fire started.
Most of the brick home suffered heat damage, where Holley said the worst of it was in Ward's room. Investigators with Boise Police have not said whether it was arson.
"It just was mind-blowing. I'm like, 'How could that even happen?' And then finally seeing the death certificate that it was blunt force trauma and that she was burned it was just devastating," Holley said.
Ward's murder left Holley and her family shocked for weeks. She couldn't wrap her mind around who could have done this to the retired elementary school teacher.
"Like, maybe it was somebody that she knew? I had no idea," Holley said. She added that time was like a blur in her head.
More questions came about a month later when another tragedy struck as Ward's former home was again set on fire and broken into.
"How could this person break into my mom's house?" Holley said. "Obviously, I am thinking maybe it is connected, or maybe they're trying to cover up some previous thing they did in the house or something they left behind."
After a year-long investigation, DNA evidence connected Steven Eugene Roberts III to the second fire. He was charged with arson and burglary.
Roberts was sentenced by an Ada County judge on September 3, 2014. He was given 30 years for the arson charge and must serve at least 10 years before he is eligible for parole.
The maximum sentence for arson is 25 years but the judge enhanced Roberts' sentence by five years because he is a persistent violator.
The judge also sentenced Roberts to 10 years for burglary, with 5 years fixed, but served that sentence at the same time as the arson sentence
However, investigators said they could not find any evidence to connect Roberts to the first arson, which has left Ward's family with even more questions.
"It was just a random break in. It was so violating to me that he would do that to our family," Holley said.
Roberts has never said why he committed the crimes.
Over the years, plenty of rumors swirled around Boise over who could be behind the first fire and murder. However, police have not been able to gather enough evidence to make any arrests or name any suspects.
"I just think that nobody is ever prepared for something so devastating and everything that piles on behind it," Holley said. She added some of the worst parts were having to clean out her mother's home and throw away her antiques.
Next month marks a decade since Ward's murder, a decade Holley and her family spent looking for answers.
"My hope is to bring more attention to this," Holley said.
Over the last few months, Holley has been determined to raise awareness. She was able to get in touch with Lamar Advertising to put up a billboard on Overland Road in Boise with information about her mom.
She is asking anyone who knows anything to come forward.
"It is incredibly devastating for anyone," Holley said. "I just would love for it to come to an end."
Boise Police Department said there are no new details into the murder and the first fire to release at the time as they do not want to jeopardize the investigation. Holley said investigators do have new information that may lead them in the right direction, but couldn't go into specifics.
BPD asks anyone with information on the case to contact Crime Stoppers at 208-343-COPS (2677) or call non-emergency dispatch at 208-377-6790. People who leave tips or information can remain anonymous.
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