Convicted murderer accused of brutal attack on Idaho prison guard
KUNA, Idaho (KIFI) — An Idaho Department of Corrections staff member has been hospitalized following a brutal assault by a convicted murderer at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution over the weekend.
On Saturday, January 17, 2026, the 56-year-old staff member, whose name has not been released, was attacked Saturday morning by inmate Robert David Pompa. Following the assault, the corporal was transported to Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise for treatment. IDOC officials have confirmed that the staff member is in stable condition.
"IMSI staff immediately secured the crime scene with assistance from officers from the Idaho State Correctional Institution and the Idaho State Correctional Center. The IMSI facility returned to normal status earlier today," IDOC officials wrote in a news release Saturday.
The suspect, Robert David Pompa, is currently serving a 27-year sentence for a litany of violent felony convictions. In 2021, Pompa was charged with beating and killing a fellow inmate at the Madison County Jail. He later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Court records also indicate that Pompa was charged with battery on a correctional officer in early 2022 while being held at the same county facility.
The Idaho State Police have assumed the lead in the investigation into Saturday’s attack. No further details regarding the specific nature of the corporal's injuries or the circumstances leading up to the assault have been released at this time.
