Wife of man charged with murder: ‘He’s a good man’
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IDAHO FALLS — The wife of a man charged with murder says her husband “is a good man” and that he and the person he’s accused of killing were best friends.
Justin C. Sarbaum, 36, of Idaho Falls, is in the Bonneville County Jail on $200,000 bond for one second-degree murder charge. Sarbaum is accused of killing Tyson Tew, 32, also of Idaho Falls, during a fight Saturday night at an apartment on St. Clair Road.
Sarbaum’s wife, Jessica Scheper, tells EastIdahoNews.com that her husband and Tew had been best friends for years.
“They were neighbors for a long time, and they would go hunting and ride ATVs together,” Scheper says.
Scheper said she and Sarbaum are separated but are on civil terms.
Tew went to visit Sarbaum on Saturday night when the shooting occurred, Scheper said. She arrived at Sarbaum’s apartment to drop off their three children and saw police everywhere.
“I went to the hospital, and Justin looked awful,” Scheper says. “When I saw him, he had two black eyes, a broken nose and a split lip. He was very upset.”
Scheper says Sarbaum called 911 to report the shooting and that he has been fully cooperative with investigators. She’s unsure why her husband and his friend were fighting.
Sarbaum, a former squad leader for the U.S. Army Infantry, is being held on $200,000 bond at the Bonneville County Jail. He has no criminal history, according to court records.
Sarbaum was to make an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
EastIdahoNews.com spoke with members of Tew’s family, who declined to comment as “things are very unclear” about what happened Saturday night.