Idaho
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.
(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.”
Creech-Decision-with-signatures_Redacted
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Idaho
Interstate 84 near Mountain Home back open after utility work
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Interstate 84 near Mountain Home is back open after crews closed the freeway due to utility work.
Crews closed westbound and eastbound lanes on Saturday morning from milepost 90 to milepost 95 due to Idaho Power working on power lines in the area, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. All lanes are now back open in both directions.
The sheriff’s office and the Mountain Home Police Department apologized for the inconvenience, saying they were just informed of the closure on Saturday morning.
More information regarding road closures and traffic conditions can be found at the Idaho Transportation Department’s 511 map.
Copyright 2026 KMVT. All rights reserved.
Idaho
Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University
The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), alleging the school ignored repeated warning signs about Bryan Kohberger.
The civil complaint, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, mother of Ethan Chapin.
The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education laws, including Title IX. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Attorney Robert Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that the decision to leave damages “unspecified” is a strategic norm in high-stakes litigation because it prevents the focus from shifting towards sensationalism and keeps the decision firmly in the hands of the jury.
“Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury,” said Clifford, who is not involved in the lawsuit. “But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”
Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof – requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.
“The mere fact that he pled guilty might not even be admissible in the civil proceeding because he’s not the defendant, right? If he is a defendant in the civil proceeding, then his plea of guilty will be important. And indeed, this school might try to use that to say, ‘See, it wasn’t our fault. He admits that it was his fault.’ But the bar is different for someone in a criminal proceeding than it is in a civil proceeding.”
According to the lawsuit, WSU hired Kohberger as a teaching assistant in its criminal justice and criminology department and provided him with a salary, tuition benefits, health insurance and on-campus housing.
The victims’ families allege the university had extensive authority over Kohberger’s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.
Here’s the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger:
The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory behavior toward female students and staff during the fall 2022 semester. The families argue university officials did not meaningfully investigate those complaints or remove Kohberger from campus before the murders – even though they had the authority to do so.
The lawsuit also alleges that the university failed to use its own threat-assessment systems designed to identify individuals who pose a risk of violence, even as concerns about Kohberger escalated. Instead, the families claim, the university continued to employ him, house him and give him access to students.
“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.
The lawsuit also alleges broad failures within the public university, including alleged dysfunction within campus police and compliance officers who are responsible for handling accusations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and stalking.
Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors said Kohberger stabbed the four students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, inside an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.
Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation.
Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data showing repeated late-night trips near the victims’ home.
WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.
Idaho
Turkey Town Hall to be held at the end of January to discuss North End nuisance
BOISE, Idaho — At the end of January, Boise City Councilmember Jimmy Hallyburton will hold a town hall meeting to discuss the growing population of wild turkeys in the North End. The meeting, which is set to take place at Lowell Elementary School on January 29 at 7 p.m., will center around education and how to treat wildlife in an urban setting.
The public meeting will feature speakers from the Boise Parks and Recreation Department, Idaho Fish & Game, and Councilmember Hallyburton.
Hallyburton told Idaho News 6 over the phone that the meeting was prompted by damaging and, in some cases, violent behavior by wild turkeys in the North End. Residents in the area have reported turkeys scratching cars with their talons, ruining vegetable gardens, sparring with domesticated dogs & cats, and even becoming aggressive towards human beings.
A viewer in the North End recently shared a video with Idaho News 6 that shows a flock of turkeys accosting a postal service worker. Thankfully, a dog intervened and saved the USPS worker from further harm.
See the video of the attack below
Hallyburton said that the North End community needs to take a focused approach to how it deals with the turkeys. “We’re making it too easy for them to live in the North End,” Hallyburton said. “We need to make our urban areas less habitable for the turkeys.”
The North End councilmember goes on to explain that residents who are feeding or treating the turkeys as pets are creating an environment in which human vs. wildlife conflict is more likely. “You might think that you’re helping the turkeys, but you’re actually causing them harm over the long term,” said Hallyburton.
Hallyburton added that the population of turkeys in the area has ballooned from a single flock of around a dozen turkeys to multiple flocks and roughly 40 turkeys. They are mostly located in the residential area of the North End between 18th and 28th streets.
Idaho Fish & Game recommends “gentle hazing” to keep turkeys from roosting in urban areas. This can include squirting turkeys with water when they approach one’s property.
Since transplanting wildlife has become more difficult in recent years due to new laws, the only other option for the turkeys would be extermination, which Hallyburton said he would like to avoid at all costs.
WATCH: Wild turkeys take over Boise’s North End
Wild turkeys turn Boise’s North End into their new roost
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