21-year-old receives potential 55-year sentence for beating man to death
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS — A 21-year-old man will spend at least 20, and up to 55 years in prison for beating another man to death because he was “mad and wanted to fight.”
On Friday, Robert Wyatt Lange was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 35 years indeterminate for the murder of 50-year-old Alejandro Paredes-Hurtado. District Judge Brendon Taylor said the lengthy sentence is based on a duty he feels to honor the court and protect the public.
Lange was found guilty of second-degree murder in October for killing Paredes-Hurtado, a stranger, following a four-day trial.
Obituary | Alejandro Paredes Hurtado, Wood Funeral Home
RELATED | Man convicted of second-degree murder after killing Idaho Falls father
The crime occurred on Oct. 19, 2024, near May Street and Northgate Mile in Idaho Falls. Police officers who were dispatched to the scene of a fight found Paredes-Hurtado with significant injuries.
He was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, where he would die from his injuries several days later.
Two days after the fight, the Idaho Falls Police Department released video showing a possible suspect in the brutal assault; Lange turned himself in the following day.
When interviewed by detectives, police say Lange told them he had been out drinking and was walking home but was “mad and wanted to fight.”
Spotting Paredes-Hurtado in the parking lot of a restaurant near May Street, Lange told police he saw the man punching a car window and trying to start a fight.
Police say Lange told them that after a confrontation, Paredes-Hurtado came toward him, so he kicked the older man. Court documents say the two began to fight, with Lange punching Paredes-Hurtado on the ground around 20 times
RELATED | Man who turned himself in for murder allegedly told police he ‘wanted to fight’
‘A life sentence is appropriate’
At the beginning of Friday’s hearing, Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal told the court about a fight involving Lange and another inmate at the Bonneville County Jail.
Lange was initially released on bond but failed to comply with the restriction, resulting in the violation of his release and his return to jail.
Neal said the fight, which lasted several minutes, was over a basketball — and both Lange and the other inmate were significantly injured.
When it comes to making a recommendation, Neal said an incident like this shows that Lange lacks a moral compass that prevents violence, but instead favors it.
“It reflects an attitude of Mr. Lange, it shows his level of service inventory, which shows that there’s a high possibility of recidivism under his attitudes and orientation. This is exactly the problem,” the prosecutor said.
Considering the brutality of Lange’s assault on Paredes-Hurtado, not involving firearms, and the attack was unprovoked, Neal said Lange is a threat to the community.
“For that reason, we definitely believe that a life sentence is appropriate in this case, so that Mr. Lange will be constantly, consistently and throughout his life supervised, and never be in a situation where he would be without consequence if you were to engage in criminal activity,” Neal said.
In total, Neal recommended that Lange spend 30 years in prison before having a chance at a parole board. He also recommended an indeterminate period of life for the 21-year-old.
“When something as senseless as this occurs, the entire community is traumatized that maybe Idaho Falls isn’t safe anymore,” the prosecutor said. “But with proper deterrence, with proper sentences, with proper consequences, we can see that we don’t have to accept violence as the new norm.”
‘He turned himself in’
Defense attorney Kelly Mallard pointed out to the court that police had shown that on the night of the deadly assault, a family member of Paredes-Hurtado was coming to pick him up, as they were concerned that he was going to be involved in a fight.
Other family members also told investigators that Paredes-Hurtado walked up to a man to start a fight, Mallard said.
None of that information came out in trial, the attorney said, and it “would have been very helpful if (the family member) testified, but he did not.”
When Lange left a friend’s home, and after he had fought with Paredes-Hurtado, Mallard said Lange told officers that he was looking for a fight, but not to kill anyone.
After the assault, Mallard wondered aloud why Lange didn’t call the police. He told the court it was because his client actually stopped assaulting Paredes-Hurtado when the man went unconscious. It wasn’t until days later, when Lange heard the man had died, that he turned himself in.
Mallard also pointed out that Lange did not ask for an attorney and answered questions from police investigators.
Discussing the violation that returned Lange to jail, and the subsequent fight, Mallard admitted it was disturbing because of the implications the actions have for his client.
The fight at the jail involved a Hispanic inmate, and Mallard said the issue for Lange is that the community has now painted a picture that Lange was racially motivated when the crime occurred.
“There was nothing racist about this fight between Robert (and Paredes-Hurtado). It was spontaneous,” Mallard said. “He has to protect himself because he’s known as the individual who killed a Mexican, and he’s gonna have to deal with that when he gets his Idaho Department of Corrections.”
Looking at Lange’s life, Mallard told the court the 21-year-old had a rough upbringing. A survivor of physical and sexual abuse, Lange was also forced to work from a young age and became involved in substance abuse, Mallard said. Because of this history, the attorney said his client is a frustrated, angry young man.
“It’s unfortunate this incident occurred. … Once he found out the individual died, he turned himself in,” Mallard pointed out. “I don’t know if that’s an individual who needs to be locked up for 30 years. He could have never turned himself in.”
Mallard recommended that Lange serve a 10-year prison sentence, with an indeterminate period of 20 years.
‘A propensity that anger and violence’
Before handing down Lange’s sentence, the judge spoke about his responsibilities in meeting the goals of sentencing, which comprise protecting society, deterrence, rehabilitation and punishment.
However, there are components in the case that Taylor said he’s taken into account before sentencing — including Lange’s early life, young age and the fact that he had no prior charges.
When it comes to alcohol consumption, Taylor said the reports given at trial were conflicting, but that Lange’s violation of his release showed that it is a huge problem for the 21-year-old.
“Alcohol and anger issues combined to the point where a fight happened that ended up being a very one-sided fight that cost a member of our society his life. Those are things the court takes into consideration,” Taylor said.
Taylor also discussed what Lange’s pre-sentence investigation, in which Lange said he doesn’t want to treat the issues he has and is resistant to treatment and medications.
About the fight at the jail, Taylor said the report detailed that both inmates were covered in blood and injured because of a disagreement over a basketball.
“This wasn’t just a small incident that shows a propensity that anger and violence have not subsided with regard to this defendant,” Taylor said.
The judge also said he had received a report that Lange had another incident at the jail in which he was angry at the guards, flipping them off and yelling at them.
Looking at all of the factors, Taylor said the court has to honor the public and protect it from an individual who has anger and substance issues but is resistant to change and has caused a death.
Along with Lange’s possible 55-year sentence, Taylor also fined him $10,000, set reimbursement to the public defender at $3,000, and left restitution open for six months. Lange was credited for 277 days served.