Man charged in Idaho Falls murder expected to change plea to guilty
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IDAHO FALLS — A 23-year-old man charged with a brutal home invasion murder is expected to plead guilty in exchange for a maximum life sentence.
According to court records, Lance Broncho signed a plea agreement Wednesday, agreeing to plead guilty to the first-degree murder of 51-year-old Eric Leask and felony aggravated battery using a deadly weapon.
In exchange, the prosecution has agreed to drop the remaining charges of felony robbery, felony burglary, felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and two felony enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
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The prosecution agreed not to pursue the death penalty and will recommend life in prison as the maximum sentence for both charges. They will argue for a minimum of 35 years for the murder charge and a minimum of 25 years for the aggravated battery charge. Broncho will agree to pay full restitution for all charged and uncharges crimes.
If Broncho withdraws the new plea or violates the rules of the plea agreement, the state could put the death penalty back on the table.
The plea agreement is not binding on the court, meaning the judge does not have to agree to either party’s recommendations for sentencing.
Broncho is expected to appear in court for a status conference on July 22, and a change of plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Background
According to court documents, an Idaho Falls Police detective was called around 9 p.m. on March 9 to investigate a shooting on the 100 block of 4th Street.
A woman who lived at the home said she and Leask woke up to an “unknown suspect breaking in their front door.”
Broncho reportedly started fighting with the woman’s son, and Leask jumped in to defend him.
The woman said Broncho had a gun and “face tattoos near his eyes.” She told the detective she saw him shoot the gun multiple times.
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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.”
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 ambulance.
Leask later died from his injuries. The son was discharged.
Hours later, police 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.
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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 he had “been involved” in a disturbance at the house where he had been shot.
The Idaho Falls Police Department says they believe Broncho targeted the wrong house.
“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,” an IFPD news release said at the time. “Investigators believe that Broncho mistakenly targeted the house.”
At the time of the home invasion, Broncho was on federal supervised release and had an active felony warrant.
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 over three years and four 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.