Man arrested in Ammon murder appears in court for first time
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IDAHO FALLS — An Ammon man who was arrested for the murder in connection with a decomposing body made his first appearance in court Thursday afternoon.
Jameion K. Hernandez, 20, was charged with first-degree murder, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. He was represented by defense attorney Jordan Crane with the Bonneville County Public Defender’s Office.
“Because of the nature of the charge and the possibility of a death penalty, no bond is allowed at this time,” Magistrate Judge Michael Kennedy said in court.
Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Danny Clark said a conviction could alternatively result in life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum, along with a $50,000 fine.
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“At this time we’ve made no decisions regarding the death penalty — it’s simply too early on in the case to do that,” Clark told EastIdahoNews.com. “We’ll review the facts and the information over the coming weeks in order to make that determination.”
Two no-contact orders were also issued to protect the witnesses in the case. Each one is in effect for three years.
Clark appreciates the public’s patience regarding the identification of the decomposing body found in an Ammon home. He said he is fairly confident at this point that the body can be identified as Lisa Stukey, who owned the home.
Law enforcement were called to Stukey’s home after friends showed up and became suspicious. On July 2, deputies discovered a person in the bedroom who had been deceased for a week. It was impossible to identify the person, gender or age. On July 10 the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office determined a murder had occurred.
Clark said given the condition of the body and the DNA testing that needs to take place, the confirmation will take time. The sheriff’s office has enlisted the help of the FBI, which is conducting the DNA testing.
“That being said, there were some indications on the body regarding medical procedures and things of that nature that helped us identify the body sufficiently at this point,” Clark said.
A preliminary hearing for Hernandez has been scheduled for Aug. 2.