Fort Cavazos, TX: Soldiers charged with murder indictment

According to the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, Marlone L. Best is accused of shooting 28-year-old Larry Kidd Jr. on February 17, 2024.

FORT CAVAZOS, Texas – Charges were filed Monday against a U.S. Army staff sergeant stationed at Fort Cavazos in the February shooting death of a Killeen man.

According to the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, Marlone L. Best is accused of shooting 28-year-old Larry Kidd Jr. on February 17, 2024. According to the special prosecutor, Best was court-martialed on August 12 and charged with first-degree murder.

The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel had filed an indictment and two specifications against Staff Sgt. Best for the murder of Larry P. Kidd Jr. One specification applies to premeditated murder and the other to murder during an act that is inherently dangerous to another.

Best pleaded not guilty to the charges and specifications and only waived selection of panel members or judges for his trial.

Next steps in the process include opportunities for the prosecution and defense to file pretrial motions on November 18, 2024. The trial is scheduled for January 3-10, 2025, the special prosecutor said.

The allegations are just allegations and employees. Sergeant. According to the special prosecutor, Best is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

According to Kidd's obituary, he was a husband and father of three children. He graduated from Killeen High School in 2013 and played football at Mary Harden Baylor in Belton and Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico.

No further information has been released at this time.