Bio

James Harvey Hairston was born on July 6, 1976. He was from Grand Junction, Colorado. At the time of the murders, he was 19 years old. By January 1996, Hairston was traveling with Richard Klipfel from Grand Junction, Colorado, toward Spokane, Washington. The two men ran out of money while passing through Idaho. Their situation led them to stop at the rural home of William and Dalma Fuhriman near Downey, Idaho.

The Fuhrimans allowed Hairston and Klipfel into their home and tried to help them. Court records state that the couple even offered to help them find work. Instead, Hairston shot both victims and took money and property from their home.

Hairston’s case later became one of Idaho’s death penalty cases. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and robbery, sentenced to death for both murders, and sentenced to life in prison for robbery.

Murder Story

On January 6, 1996, James Harvey Hairston and Richard Klipfel were driving from Grand Junction, Colorado, to Spokane, Washington. They stopped at the rural home of William and Dalma Fuhriman near Downey, Idaho, because they had run out of money and could not continue their trip.

William and Dalma Fuhriman invited the two men into their home. The couple tried to help them and offered assistance with finding work. While William Fuhriman was sitting at the kitchen table looking through a phone book, Hairston shot him in the head. Hairston then shot Dalma Fuhriman.

After the shootings, Hairston and Klipfel took about $30 in cash, credit cards, and personal property from the Fuhriman home. Reports also stated that property taken included a saxophone. The two men left Idaho and continued traveling.

After the murders, Hairston and Klipfel used the Fuhrimans’ credit cards. They bought items including food, gasoline, lodging, tires, and toy remote-control cars. They also tried to buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and expensive snowboarding equipment, but the credit card was rejected.

Hairston and Klipfel were arrested three days later near Clarkston, Washington. Investigators connected them to the Fuhriman murders through the stolen property, credit-card use, and other evidence.

Hairston was tried in Bannock County, Idaho. On September 6, 1996, a jury found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery. On November 15, 1996, he was sentenced to death for the murders of William and Dalma Fuhriman. He also received a life sentence for robbery.

Richard Klipfel, Hairston’s co-defendant, received a prison sentence for his role in the crime. He did not receive the death penalty. Hairston appealed his conviction and death sentence. In 1999, the Idaho Supreme Court affirmed the judgment, including the two death sentences. He later filed several post-conviction challenges. In 2020, the Idaho Supreme Court rejected another appeal in which Hairston argued that his death sentence was unconstitutional because he was under 21 years old at the time of the murders.

James Harvey Hairston remains in custody in Idaho. Idaho Department of Correction records list him as in custody at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, with an active death sentence for first-degree murder.