BOISE, Idaho — A Garden City man accused of killing his uncle Sunday morning stabbed the man so viciously that one of the wounds penetrated the victim's heart, prosecutors said at his Tuesday arraignment.
Emerson Clyde Buck, 30, is charged with second-degree murder, use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony, and resisting and obstructing officers in the death of 55-year-old James Buck.
Police say the stabbing happened at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday at the family's mobile home, located in the 200 block of 40th Street in Garden City.
According to Prosecutor Brent Ferguson, the suspect's mother heard him yelling "never again" and cursing at someone, followed by thumping sounds. At first, his mother thought that Buck had hit one of their dogs, Ferguson said, but went into the bedroom to investigate.
"When she got there, she found James Buck lying on the floor in a pool of blood, and the defendant was gone," he said.
By the time police got to the home, James Buck was no longer breathing. Despite the officers' attempts to help him, Buck died from his injuries shortly after they arrived.
A description of Emerson Buck was given to police, and officers found him about an hour later near Veterans Memorial Parkway and Chinden Boulevard. Ferguson said that Buck took off running when police approached, but was caught nearby.
"When he was captured, he had blood on his hands, his pants, his socks, and he also had blood on items inside his pockets," he said.
An autopsy revealed that James Buck had been cut or stabbed at least six times in the head, neck, back and hand with an "unknown sharp object," according to the prosecution.
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One cut to the right side of the victim's neck was so deep it went all the way down to his spine, Ferguson said, while another wound to his back had penetrated his heart. According to the medical examiner, both to those injuries would likely have been fatal on their own.
"That shows, from the state's perspective, a significant amount of rage," Ferguson said.
Police have not released a motive in the killing, although Ferguson said that Emerson Buck and his uncle had "an ongoing dispute" and a strained relationship at the time.
The prosecutor urged the judge to set bond at $5 million, noting that the suspect has a rape conviction from 2008, and that he had been returned to prison at least three times on that charge after being paroled. Buck was also out on bond for a new felony charge - a November drug arrest - when the stabbing happened.
"There is no more significant crime than taking a person's life, and ultimately this was a family member, at that," Ferguson said.
Buck, who appeared via video feed, shook his head and shrugged his shoulders repeatedly during the hearing. He also alternatively told the judge that he could not hear him, didn't understand what he was saying, or did not recall signing documents about his legal rights.
His public defender, Nicholes Alexander, also suggested the details of the charges came as a surprise to his client
"Emerson tells me who he found out who he was alleged to have killed in the hallway when I told him," the defense attorney said. "He asserts his innocence."
Alexander also noted that Buck has ties to the area, rejecting assertions by the prosecution that he would be a flight risk if released on bail.
"He's got nowhere else to go, he's been here his whole life," he said.
But the judge ultimately sided with the prosecution, setting bond at $5 million and ordering that Buck have no contact with his parents - with the exception of calls or emails with his mother from jail - and stay away from their Garden City address if released.
If convicted of murder, Buck could face up to life in prison. He is due back in court Jan. 29 for a preliminary hearing.
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