Fort Hall man gets 24 years in prison for ‘brutal,’ ‘vicious’ knife attack

POCATELLO — A man who pleaded guilty to two felonies for a December knife attack has been sent to prison for at least a dozen years.

Ryder Slade Menta, 30, pleaded guilty to a felony for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and an attached deadly weapon enhancement after reaching a plea agreement with the Bannock County Prosecutor.

After hearing arguments from the prosecuting and defense attorneys during a hearing Monday, District Judge Javier Gabiola sentenced Menta to a prison term of 12 to 24 years.

“A lesser sentence would depreciate your serious actions here,” Gabiola said, calling Menta’s attack “egregious.”

RELATED | Fort Hall man charged after police say he stabbed another man ‘at least a dozen times’

Menta was arrested in December after the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a knife attack in Lava Hot Springs. Deputies met with Menta and the victim at Portneuf Medical Center, where the victim underwent emergency surgery.

While speaking on Menta’s behalf, defense attorney Ashley LaVallee pointed to the fact that Menta took the victim to the hospital, adding that, according to reports from first responders, the action may have saved the victim’s life.

LaVallee quoted the pre-sentence investigation, in which Menta told an interviewer that he “tried to do the right thing after I made this very, very bad decision.”

“I do believe my client is genuinely remorseful,” the deputy public defender added.

Prosecuting Attorney Erin Tognetti offered a differing outlook.

The victim, Tognetti said, had been stabbed over a dozen times and fell to his knees. That was when he heard Menta get into the driver’s seat of the victim’s SUV, so he “forced himself” onto his feet and into the passenger seat, asking Menta to take him to the hospital.

Tognetti offered Gabiola photographic evidence in place of an impact statement from the victim, who chose not to appear in court for the hearing.

While reading excerpts from a report filed by PMC surgeons who provided life-saving care to the victim, Tognetti showed the court pictures of the victim. The first was a closeup of the man’s face, showing scars from at least five knife wounds — the largest of which was described as being 27 centimeters from the back of the victim’s head, around his left ear, and down to his neck.

Tognetti described the 10 stab and cut wounds to the victim’s side and midsection, and even more to the backs of his legs — she said were suffered after the man fell down during the attack.

The surgeon noted in his reports that the victim was identified as a “level 1 trauma” — the highest level of severity. The victim was suffering “major blood loss,” Tognetti read.

After providing the evidence, Tognetti turned her attention to what had been discovered since the Dec. 26 crime. A high LSI (level of service inventory), she said, is 29, making Menta’s 40 “extremely high.”

LSI testing is a risk assessment that employs numerous evidence-based factors to determine a person’s likelihood of re-offending. The high score, Tognetti said, showed Menta “absolutely required” a maximum sentence.

“This is not somebody that is a good candidate for rehabilitation,” Tognetti said, noting that the victim in this attack was a family member of Menta’s. “If he would do this to somebody he loves, then how dangerous is he to the general population.”

Speaking for himself, Menta called the attack a “situation gone bad” and an “eye-opener.” He said he understood if the court determined he was in need of prison.

However, he added he has already discovered things about himself in the last seven months. Menta said he has learned that he was diagnosed with ADHD and depression as a child but had not been on medication, nor was he made aware of the diagnosis until he met with the jail medical team.

LaVallee requested a prison sentence of seven to 14 years, while Tognetti argued for the maximum of 15 to 30.

Gabiola, after hearing from both attorneys and Menta, said that not only had Menta stabbed a family member “almost lethally,” but noted that his “history is replete with violent crimes.” The judge made note of assaults, assault on an officer, two eluding officers, and other similar crimes Menta was convicted of as a juvenile.

In addition to sending Menta to prison, Gabiola ordered he pay $8,205.92 in restitution toward the victim’s medical bills and an additional $1,345.50 in fees and fines. Gabiola also ordered a no-contact order, barring Menta from contacting the victim for 25 years.

Menta was given credit for 204 days time served toward his prison sentence and was remanded to the custody of the Idaho Department of Corrections following the hearing.