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KETCHUM, Idaho (AP) — A central Idaho man has been sentenced to prison in the death of a neighbor whose body was discovered in his backyard.
Keith Blankenship, 51, has been sentenced to at least seven years in prison after pleading guilty to felony failure to notify authorities of a death with intent to prevent discovery of the manner of death, reported the Idaho Mountain Express (http://bit.ly/2gCCaaH ).
The decomposing body of 47-year-old Steve Romachuk was found under leaves and debris in Blankenship's backyard in May 2014, four months after he was reported missing.
Blankenship told Blaine County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Steve Harkins that he shot and killed Romanchuk in self-defense that January. He originally went to trial on charges of murder and destruction of evidence, but it ended in a mistrial.
The state has agreed to drop the other charges as part of the plea agreement. Blankenship pleaded guilty to the failure to notify of a death charge on Sept. 20.
Blaine County Prosecutor Jim Thomas wrote that "extensive forensic testing of the victim's body, clothing and materials taken from Blankenship's residence all demonstrate the manner of death," showing clearly that Romanchuk was killed by gunshots. But Thomas said there wasn't enough evidence describing the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
As a result, Thomas wrote, "there was insufficient evidence to refute Blankenship's self-defense claim."
Defense attorney Keith Roark said Romanchuk threated Blankenship with a pistol and demanded $100 for a marijuana debt. According to Roark, Blankenship cheated himself by not reporting the killing because he could have exonerated himself based on evidence at his home.
In court Tuesday, Blankenship apologized for the "pain and suffering" Romanchuk's family and friends had endured.
"I never meant to harm Mr. Romanchuk," he said. "In shock and panic, I tried to defend myself and made a terrible mistake that I have regretted ever since."
The judge sentenced Blankenship to 10 years in prison with seven years fixed. He granted credit for the 938 days Blankenship spent in county jail.
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Information from: Idaho Mountain Express, http://www.mtexpress.com
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