Idaho man accused of killing a man with a sword in Pocatello allegedly claims he ‘cut his gun.’ Police say the gun they found had a trigger lock on it
An Idaho man is facing a second-degree murder charge after police found his neighbor with a sword lodged in his torso. Ronald Dean Cantrell was standing beside a car at a Pocatello apartment complex when officers arrived, according to the Idaho State Journal. He had his hands up and told the officer he had a knife before being detained. According to the report, Cantrell later told detectives that Wayne Weberpal had been making too much noise and slamming doors.
He also reportedly said he suspected his neighbor was a hit man hired to kill him. “I killed that guy,” Cantrell reportedly said as officers walked him toward the patrol car. This statement began a series of comments he made about the incident. When a second officer approached, he allegedly called the victim, “a mad man.” Cantrell went on to explain his actions, claiming he deeply distrusted his neighbor. He told investigators that he believed Weberpal had been lying in wait to ambush him.
Police discovered Weberpal unresponsive in the car’s back seat. After moving him onto the pavement, an officer saw a sword protruding from the left side of his upper torso, below his armpit. He was later pronounced dead at Portneuf Medical Center, and police said the weapon was a samurai sword. “I got the gun out, and I cut his gun,” Cantrell allegedly told an officer at the scene. He continued to talk about a firearm equipped with a silencer and kept calling the victim “a killer.”
Police say the rifle at the scene had a trigger lock on it
The evidence police found appears to tell a different story. Officers did locate a long gun leaning against the car with what appeared to be a suppressor attached. However, the weapon had a trigger lock installed, preventing access to the trigger.
A detective wrote that Cantrell did not substantiate his self-defense claim and found no indication that Weberpal had threatened him with harm or death. Prosecutors allege Cantrell killed Weberpal by stabbing him through the chest with a short sword. They asked for a $500,000 bond at his arraignment.
The suspect is now being held at the Bannock County Jail and has been assigned a state public defender. If convicted of second-degree murder, he faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, and a fine of up to $50,000. Cantrell is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on November 18, where prosecutors must present enough evidence for a judge to send the sword case to district court for trial.
Idaho’s self-defense law hinges on what a reasonable person would fear
Idaho is a stand-your-ground state, as its self-defense law says a person does not need to retreat from any place they have a right to be. However, the statute limits that right to the force that would appear necessary to a reasonable person in a similar situation.
A separate homicide statute treats a killing as justifiable only when there is reasonable ground to fear a felony or great bodily injury, along with imminent danger. In such cases, Idaho law places the burden on prosecutors, as they must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the force was not justified.
Those standards could make the trigger lock a central detail, as a rifle that could not be fired may be hard to square with a fear of imminent danger. Cantrell reportedly told detectives that Weberpal kept long rifles, though police have not said who owned the one found beside the car.
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