Former lawmaker asks why a murder suspect was at a minimum secure facility

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho State Police and Pocatello Police captured Jerome County murder suspect and armed walkaway Kevin Kuintzle on Friday evening, December 6, 2024. In response to his escape, a former state lawmaker along with others are asking, 'Why was Kuintzle allowed to be transferred to the St. Anthony IDOC work camp in the first place?"

Monday, Local News 8 spoke with with former IDOC parole officer and State Representative Chad Christensen. Christensen said in order to be assigned to the work camp, a suspect needs to have a low Level of Supervision Inventory score (LSI). The system allows law enforcement to determine the appropriate level of supervision a suspect needs.

"As far as I know, there's two ways to be assigned," Christensen told Local News 8. "The judge can order that work detail and that person will be sent there. Or IDOC will do a risk assessment. Maybe they're in medium security somewhere else in the state and and (determined to be) a low risk inmate. They'll send that inmate to that facility if they've earned it (after) behaving well."

Christensen says Kuintzel's background paints the picture of a suspect far from low risk.

According to our partners at KMVT, Kuintzel was arrested in connection to the death of Jerome county resident William Eakin. Kuintzle allegedly shot 84-year-old Eakin while he was in bed sleeping on September 17th of last year.

Court documents also show that while awaiting trial, Kuintzel was charged with attacking a corrections officer, along with several other misdemeanor and felony charges.

It's unclear when the 33-year-old was transferred to the work camp in Saint Anthony. Kuintzel escaped from the facility on Thursday night by jumping the fence and stealing a 1995 Dodge pickup.

"Whenever, a inmate or (someone on) probation gets a new charge or new conviction, you have to redo that LSI score every time," Kuintzel told Local News 8. "So why that wasn't done, if it was done, I don't know. But if it was done and it was determined a high risk level, which he should have been obviously...he should have been put into a secure location. That's insane to me that was made a low-risk level and able to jump a fence."

Local News 8 has sent several questions to the IDOC, asking why a man facing first-degree-murder charges was transferred to the camp.

So far we've received no response.

Christensen says he has written a letter to Governor Little and the IDOC, asking for the parties responsible to be held accountable.