Idaho

Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole denies death row inmate's commutation recommendation – Idaho Capital Sun

Published

2 years ago

January 30, 2024

Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole denies death row inmate's commutation recommendation – Idaho Capital Sun

This story was first published by Idaho Reports on Jan. 29, 2024.

The Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole on Monday denied a commutation recommendation for Thomas Creech, the state’s longest-serving man on death row.

After hearing arguments on the commutation request on Jan. 19, the commission voted 3-3 on whether to grant a commutation recommendation. A tie-vote means the request is denied.

Commissioner Patrick McDonald recused himself from Creech’s hearing. McDonald would have been the tie-breaking vote.

Creech’s attorneys asked that his death sentence be commuted to life in prison without parole, saying Creech is a changed man. Without a recommendation from the seven-person commission, the governor cannot commute Creech’s death sentence.

Thomas Creech has been on death row since 1983 for the beating death of fellow inmate David Jensen in 1981.
(Courtesy of Christine Hanley/ Federal Defender Services of Idaho)

Creech, 73, has been on death row since 1983 for the beating death of fellow inmate David Jensen in 1981. Jensen is the fifth murder conviction on Creech’s record.

“This decision was not based on any doubt or question about Mr. Creech’s guilt or the horrific nature of his crime,” wrote the three commissioners who supported the commutation. “The commissioners do not believe Mr. Creech is worthy of mercy, but that the discretion of the commission allows for grace to be given even when undeserved. While the commissioners noted a possibility that Mr. Creech has changed in the years since his crime and considered his current age and health, this decision was not based on the actions and conduct of Mr. Creech.”

The three who supported the commutation also pointed to the capital punishment law that has changed since Creech was sentenced to death. A judge handed down that sentence; now, a jury is involved when determining if a person’s crime should be punishable by death.

The three commissioners who voted against the commutation wrote they did not believe Mr. Creech was worthy of mercy.

“This decision was based on the coldblooded nature of David Dale Jensen’s murder and the sheer number of victims that Mr. Creech has created over his lifetime, which shows that he does not place value on human life, other than his own,” they wrote.

Creech accused, convicted in other murder cases

At the time of Jensen’s death, Creech was already incarcerated for the 1974 murders of Edward T. Arnold and John Wayne Bradford in Valley County. Creech also had prior convictions related to the earlier murders in Oregon and California.

Much of the hearing held Jan. 19 focused on testimony Creech has told police in the past about other killings for which he was never convicted.

“Thomas Creech has admitted to killing or participating in the killing of at least 26 people,” the U.S. Supreme Court noted in 1993. “The bodies of 11 of his victims — who were shot, stabbed, beaten, or strangled to death — have been recovered in seven states.”

Emotional commutation hearing held for Idaho’s longest-serving man on death row

His counsel argued the numbers have been inflated over time and to focus only on the convictions.

When directly asked exactly how many people he had killed, Creech could not, or would not, say.

“Mr. Creech was not interested in telling the truth about his additional crimes and violent history and was reluctant and unwilling to completely disclose the number of people he has killed,” wrote the three commissioners who voted against recommending commutation. “Further, the commission believes that Mr. Creech is not capable of true remorse and would take another life if it benefitted him. He has shown he can still manipulate others to get what he wants. The commission believes that the Jensen family would not receive justice if Mr. Creech received clemency, and above all else that they deserve closure in this case.”

When the commission granted Creech a hearing, the judge who signed his last death warrant agreed to stay, or pause, his execution. That stay is now in jeopardy.

Deborah Czuba, supervising attorney for the Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Defender Services of Idaho issued a statement following the announcement Monday.

Creech attorney: ‘our fight is far from over’

“We are grateful that half of the commissioners chose grace over vengeance for Tom Creech,” Czuba wrote. “We believe the split vote clearly reflects the undeniable fact that Tom has made a remarkable turnaround during his 50 years in prison, becoming a deeply remorseful, compassionate and harmless old man who has wide support for clemency across the prison ranks and even from the judge who sentenced him. We are hopeful that the governor will still find a way to favor life and grant clemency. Either way, our fight is far from over and we will continue to do everything we can to spare Tom an execution.”

Creech is still scheduled to go before the Idaho Supreme Court on Feb. 5 for hearings on an ineffective assistance by counsel claim. He’s also challenging his death sentence from 1995. At the time, judges could impose a death penalty. Today, a jury is involved in determining whether a crime should be punished by death. He’s asking that his case be remanded back to the district court.

Following the announcement from the commission, Gov. Brad Little issued a statement.

“As governor, my job is to follow the law and ensure that lawful criminal sentences are carried out,” Little said through a press release. “Thomas Creech is a convicted serial killer responsible for acts of extreme violence. Our court system convicted Creech, and he was lawfully sentenced to death. As governor, I have zero intention of taking any action that would halt or delay Creech’s execution. His lawful and just sentence must be carried out as ordered by the court. Justice has been delayed long enough.”

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Idaho

Idaho resolution opposing same-sex marriage advances

Published

16 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Idaho resolution opposing same-sex marriage advances

For the second year in a row, House lawmakers will consider urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

The nonbinding resolution, which carries no legal weight, says the decision in Obergefel v. Hodges violates the longstanding religious definition of marriage between one man and one woman.

“The current definition of marriage that allows for same-sex marriages is a defilement of the word marriage,” said Rep. Tony Wisniewski (R-Post Falls), who sponsors the measure.

The resolution further states that the Obergefel decision “arbitrarily and unjustly” rejects the historical definition of marriage.

Idaho voters passed a constitution amendment in 2006 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, which was invalidated by the Obergefel ruling.

Wisniewski said regulating marriages should be a power left to the states.

Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa) agrees.

“If you want to get things … closer to the people with respect to some of these more complex social issues, I think the best place for those things to happen is in the states,” Crane said.

Doing so is a risk, he said.

“You may have states that choose to acknowledge [polyamorous relationships]. You may have states that choose to have relationships between adults and younger children,” Crane said.

Cities in neighboring Oregon and Washington, for example, are considering giving those in polyamorous relationships legal recognition.

But he said that risk is worth it to allow other states that choose to only recognize traditional marriages.

Four lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee opposed the resolution.

Rep. Erin Bingham (R-Idaho Falls) said she’s tried to balance her own religious beliefs with those of others while considering the measure.

“I do feel like that it is important for us to work together, to find ways to compromise and to live together in peace and mutual respect,” Bingham said.

The resolution now goes to the House floor for consideration.

House lawmakers last year passed a similar measure, but it never received a hearing in a Senate committee.

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Idaho

University of Idaho professor awarded $10M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

University of Idaho professor awarded M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders

A University of Idaho professor won a $10 million judgment after a tarot TikTok influencer publicly pushed false claims that she was behind the savage quadruple slayings of four college students.

A Boise jury in US District Court ordered fortune-telling Texas TikToker Ashley Guillard on Friday to pay $10 million after concluding she falsely accused professor Rebecca Scofield of having a secret romance with one of the four victims and orchestrating their killings, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Following the verdict, Scofield thanked the jury and said she hopes the case sends a clear warning that making “false statements online have consequences in the real world.”

“The murders of the four students on November 13, 2022, were the darkest chapter in our university’s history,” Scofield told Fox News.

“Today’s decision shows that respect and care should always be granted to victims during these tragedies. I am hopeful that this difficult chapter in my life is over, and I can return to a more normal life with my family and the wonderful Moscow community.”

Scofield, the university’s history department chair, filed the lawsuit in December 2022 — just weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were brutally stabbed to death at an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.

Guillard began uploading videos to her more than 100,000 TikTok followers in late November 2022, accusing Scofield of a secret relationship with one of the students and claiming she had “ordered” the killings, garnering millions of views across the social media platform.

The complaint states that Scofield had never met the victims and was out of state when the murders occurred.

Even after being served with cease-and-desist letters and after police publicly confirmed Scofield had no connection to the murders, the Houston-based tarot reader continued posting videos, the history professor’s legal team argued.

Guillard doubled down on her accusations against Scofield after being sued, posting a defiant video saying, “I am not stopping,” and challenging why Scofield needed three lawyers to sue her “if she’s so innocent.”

The professor’s legal team argued the defamatory accusations painted her as a criminal and accused her of professional misconduct that could derail her career.

Bryan Kohberger, then studying criminology at Washington State University, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the quadruple murders in a deal that took the death penalty off the table. He is currently serving four consecutive life sentences in Idaho.

In June 2024, Chief US Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco found Guillard’s statements legally defamatory, leaving damages to be decided by a jury.

During the damages trial, Scofield described the anguish of seeing her name tied to the murders online, the Idaho Statesman reported.

However, Guillard, acting as her own attorney, insisted her comments were simply beliefs based on tarot card readings.

She claimed to have psychic powers and testified that she relied on tarot cards to try to solve the shocking homicides that shook the rural college town and sparked global attention.

It took jurors less than two hours to return their verdict, the outlet reported.

The jury awarded Scofield $7.5 million in punitive damages in addition to $2.5 million in compensatory damages.

With Post wires

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Idaho

Gas prices expected to exceed $3 as the Iran conflict prompts supply shortages

Published

2 days ago

March 2, 2026

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Gas prices expected to exceed as the Iran conflict prompts supply shortages

BOISE, Idaho — AAA is warning Idaho gas consumers that pump prices will likely rise as the conflict in Iran disrupts oil and gas supply chains worldwide.

The ongoing turmoil in the Middle East will likely push the price for a gallon of regular gasoline past the $3 mark over the coming days.

“On one hand, the crude oil market had time to account for some financial risk in the Middle East as forces mobilized, but a supply shortage somewhere affects the global picture,” says AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde. “If tankers can’t move products through the region, there could be ripple effects.”

On Monday, March 2, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.97, reports AAA, which is 12 cents more expensive than it was a month ago but 20 cents less than this time last year.

State / Price: 1 gallon of regular gasoline

Washington / $4.37
Oregon / $3.92
Nevada / $3.70
Idaho / $2.97
Colorado / $2.89
Montana / $2.82
Utah / $2.74
Wyoming / $2.73

In terms of the most expensive fuel in the nation, Idaho currently ranks #14. However, buying a gallon of regular gas in neighboring states such as Oregon and Washington could cost a whole dollar more. In contrast, gas prices in Utah, Montana, and Wyoming are anywhere between 15 to 24 cents cheaper than fuel in the Gem State.

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