After Death Penalty Testimony, Murderer Awaits Judge’s Decision

The fate of convicted murderer Richard Allen Dunn is not expected to be settled until October, despite three days of sentencing testimony last week.

Dunn, 27, of Boise, was one of three men who threw Travis McIntier off a cliff near the Mores Creek Bridge on Idaho Highway 21 in November 1995. He faces at least 10 years in prison and could be sentenced to death by 4th District Judge Thomas Neville.

“We are very, very strongly seeking the death penalty,” Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Jay Rosenthal said. “We’ve said from the beginning that this was one of the most atrocious and horrific crimes ever committed in Ada County.”

But Dunn’s mother, Valerie Pompa, pleaded for her son’s life, telling Neville how she used drugs while pregnant with Dunn. And defense attorney Gus Cahill said Dunn should not die because mental deficiencies left him less able than a normal person to stop the chain of events that led to McIntier’s murder.

“He was not the leader,” Cahill said. “There were actually six major players in the events that night.

“I just think it’s a terrible thing that happened. But if you give one the death penalty, they should all get it.”

Both John “L.J.” Maynard and Shawn Norris have pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for McIntier’s slaying. Dunn was convicted by a jury.

Neville’s written decision on Dunn’s sentencing is expected sometime before the start of Maynard’s sentencing, which is scheduled for Oct. 14. The sentencing of Norris begins Nov. 12.