COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – A judge ruled a north Idaho teen is now considered an adult and received a sentence of a combined 20 years in prison for first- and second-degree murder charges on Monday.
The judge said Eldon Samuel III can no longer be held in juvenile detention center. The 16-year-old will have to be transferred out of the Kootenai County Jail within 48 hours and committed to the custody of the Idaho Department of Correction.
"I can't take the risk on the reactive attachment disorder Mr. Samuel. I'm sorry," the judge said during sentencing.
The judge ruled Samuel will serve 20 years for his first-degree murder charge and 10 years for his second-degree murder charge, to be served concurrently. He will be eligible for parole at the end of his sentence.
Samuel's mother Tina Samuel took the stand and read a statement that said in part, "My son Eldon saved my life several times or I wouldn't be alive today."
Samuel also took the stand and said " I'm not the same person I was two years ago. I've changed mentally, physically, and spiritually."
Sameul also said Coeur d'Alene pastor Tim Remington helped him improve in all three of those areas.
"A day does not go by I forget what I did," he said. "There is nothing worse than what I did that night."
"It's hard, the nature of the injuries that were inflicted, it's very difficult even after doing this job for many years," Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh said. "I felt it had to be hard for the jurors to see all that information, the judge as well, so it's good to have what we feel like is the appropriate result and I would hope not to see another case like it."
Samuel was convicted of killing his 46-year-old father, Eldon Samuel Jr., and his 13-year-old brother, Jonathan Samuel, on March 24, 2014 in Coeur d'Alene. He was just 14 at the time, but was charged as an adult. A jury convicted him on Jan. 29.
Two doctors testified during the sentencing. The first doctor said Samuel had reactive aggression and trauma disorders. The second doctor testified about the effects of sending a juvenile to an adult prison or juvenile facility.