Prosecutors won’t seek death penalty in first degree murder case
Published at
The following is a news release from the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office.
IDAHO FALLS – The Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney will not seek the death penalty in the first degree murder case against Randy Michael Larkin, 58, in the shooting death of 36-year-old Morey Pelton on May 12, 2022.
RELATED | Rest stop homicide suspect pleads not guilty
“The death penalty requires a finding of an aggravated factor from a list found in Idaho law,” Randy Neal, Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney explained. “Our review of the currently known facts and circumstances in this case lead to a consensus among all of our attorneys that those aggravating factors should not be applied in this case.”
RELATED | Rest stop murder suspect appears in court
The process which the Bonneville County prosecutor utilizes includes a thorough presentation of the known facts and evidence by law enforcement and then assigning prosecutors who present the case for and against the death penalty to all of the attorneys in the criminal division. Those attorneys then make a recommendation to the prosecutor, who makes the final decision.