Man accused of 4th Street murder allegedly broke into the wrong house
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IDAHO FALLS — A 23-year-old man accused of murder broke into the wrong house, according to court documents.
Lance Broncho was in court Friday following a weekend shooting that left a man dead and another critically injured.
Broncho is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery, robbery, burglary and unlawful possession of a firearm, all felonies.
RELATED | Man charged with murder following weekend shooting in Idaho Falls
Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Neal also filed for two felony enhancements for the use of a firearm in the commission of the crimes.
Broncho is being held without bond in the Bonneville County Jail and appeared via Zoom before Magistrate Judge Tawnya Rawlings.
His defense attorneys, Jim Archibald and Jordan Crane, were in the courtroom and said they would not be asking to change the status of Broncho’s bond yet.
The wrong house
According to newly released court documents, an Idaho Falls Police detective was called around 9 p.m. to investigate a shooting on the 100 block of 4th Street Saturday night.
He met with a woman who lives at the home, who said she and 51-year-old Eric Leask woke up to the sounds of an “unknown suspect breaking in their front door.”
Police reports say the two saw the man, later identified as Broncho, physically fighting with the woman’s son, who also lived in the home. Leask jumped in to help defend the son.
According to the woman, the intruder had a gun and “face tattoos near his eyes.” She told the detective she saw Broncho shoot the gun multiple times.
In an interview with detectives, the son said he was playing video games in his bedroom when he heard a knock at the door and “loud banging.”
According to court documents, Broncho entered the house and saw the son in the living room. The son said Broncho was wearing “a mask and dark clothing,” was armed with a handgun, and yelled, “Give me everything!”
Both Leask and the son tried to “overpower” Broncho, but he was able to shoot the gun “several times,” hitting the son in the leg and hand and Leask in the shoulder/chest area.
According to the son, he gave a “cased 9 mm FN firearm to (Broncho) to get him to leave.” Broncho then ran from the home, but the residents told the detective they believed Broncho was also injured.
Both Leask and the son were transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center by Idaho Falls Fire ambulance.
Leask later died from his injuries. The son was discharged in the following days.
Later, investigators learned of a man who had been “shot in the hand and requested help from a friend to get the bullet out of his hand and assist him in getting out of the area,” according to police reports.
Around 11 p.m., Investigators found Broncho at the Teton Mesa Apartments on 885 Lomax Street.
Two of the people in the apartment initially refused to come out, starting a standoff with the SWAT team. A “chemical irritant” was introduced into the apartment, according to court documents, and Broncho surrendered.
When taken into custody, he still had a bullet in his hand, so he was taken to EIRMC for treatment.
At the hospital, Broncho allegedly told officers that earlier in the evening, he had gone to the house to get marijuana.
According to police reports Broncho admitted that he had “been involved” at the house in a disturbance, where he had been shot.
The Idaho Falls Police Department believes Broncho targeted the wrong house.
“At this time, it does not appear that Broncho had any connection to knowledge of the residents that would support his assumption that he could obtain marijuana from them,” says the release. “At this time, investigators believe that Broncho mistakenly targeted the house.”
Afterward, Broncho said a friend picked him up, and he “unsuccessfully attempted to remove the bullet from his hand with pliers.”
During a search of the home, officers reportedly found a 10mm Glock magazine with four unexpended rounds near the back door. They also found casings that matched the magazine and a sledgehammer in the living room.
According to court documents, officers found damage to the front door handle and locks, consistent with someone hitting it with a sledgehammer.
During a search of the Teton Mesa apartment, officers found a Glock Model 20 10 mm pistol “covered in blood” and a FN 9 mm pistol. The Glock 10 mm pistol did not have a magazine.
In a car belonging to Broncho’s friend, officers found an FN pistol case and a wallet belonging to the son.
After Broncho was booked, officers were able to listen in on multiple jail calls between Broncho and his mother.
According to court documents, Broncho’s mother stated that she believed Broncho’s sister worked with Leask.
During another jail call, Broncho reportedly said, “Ohh, then you know what? Guess, guess who I killed? A family friend of mine. They’re my family friend, they’re my sister’s friend. It just gets weirder and weirder.”
Broncho was initially put on a federal hold, and on Thursday, Idaho Falls Police served him with an arrest warrant on the new charges at the Bonneville County Jail.
At the time of the home invasion, Broncho was on federal supervised release and had an active felony warrant.
Past cases
In July 2020, a grand jury indicted Broncho for federal felony assault causing serious injury for stabbing a man in the stomach on the Fort Hall reservation. He was sentenced to 40 months in jail.
Broncho was convicted again in April 2021 of felony assault resulting in serious bodily injury on the Fort Hall reservation.
In Nov. 2023, Broncho was arrested and charged with felony aggravated battery after allegedly attacking another man with a baseball bat. According to Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Neal, the charges were dismissed due to a lack of evidence from witnesses.
Broncho is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on March 29. If convicted, he could face the death penalty or 10 years to life in prison.
Though Broncho has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.