Local man who burned body after shooting sentenced to federal prison

The following is a news release from U.S. Attorney’s Office (Idaho). Photo: Adobe Stock

POCATELLO – Rydon Clyde Teton, 38, who is a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe of Fort Washakie, Wyoming, and a resident of Fort Hall, was sentenced to 253 months in federal prison for the shooting death of another man in January 2018, on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced.

According to court records, on Feb. 2, 2018, the Fort Hall Police Department and the Fort Hall Fire Department were called to a residence on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation for a fire at a home. Witnesses said they saw a fire inside the home and entered to investigate. The witnesses found a deceased and burned body, which they moved to the porch, and they then called police.

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The fire was extinguished and the body was identified as that of the victim, who had been shot several times days earlier. The law enforcement investigation led to Teton, who reportedly had earlier been seen carrying a gun. Officers located Teton at a trailer park in Pocatello, where Teton’s gun was located.

Teton was interviewed by Fort Hall police and FBI agents. Teton stated that he and the victim had an argument about a debit card. Teton said he and the victim struggled and Teton then had the idea to shoot the victim, which he did. He admitted later burning the body. He also admitted using his gun to commit this violent crime.

The 253-month sentence imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye is a combined sentence consisting of 133 months for the voluntary manslaughter charge and a consecutive 120 months for the use of the firearm in committing the killing. Chief Judge Nye ordered Teton to pay restitution in the amount of $68,339.11 for the victim’s funeral expenses and for his lost tribal income, which is to be paid to the victim’s minor child. Judge Nye also ordered Teton to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Judge Nye granted Teton 111 days of credit for the time he served in tribal jail on the same charge before coming into federal custody. He pleaded guilty to the charge of voluntary manslaughter and to a charge of the use of a firearm in a violent crime on August 16, 2023.

U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit commended the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Hall Police Department, which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Haycock prosecuted the case.