Grieving Father Faces Son’s Killer Death Will ‘Last Rest Of Our Lives’; Matthews Sentenced In Bombing

The father of a young man killed in a dynamite explosion told his son’s killer that he had “sentenced a young girl to 20 years hard labor raising three small children.”

Johnny Calhoun testified Thursday at a sentencing hearing for Robert W. Matthews. He told Matthews, “The outcome of this is going to last for the rest of our lives.”

District Judge George Reinhardt III sentenced Matthews to three to five years in prison, but allowed Matthews to go into an evaluation program. At the end of 180 days, the judge will decide whether he goes to prison to serve his term or is released on probation.

Matthews pleaded guilty to felony aiding and abetting aggravated arson.

Stacey Calhoun, 28, Grangeville, was killed in February when a stick of dynamite placed in his pickup truck exploded. During an earlier hearing, Matthews testified that he and Gary Gordon, 25, stole the dynamite from a gold mine near Lucile.

Gordon is charged with first-degree murder. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for May 22 and trial is scheduled Aug. 4. Under a plea agreement with Matthews, he has agreed to testify against Gordon.

In urging the judge to give Matthews a chance at probation, defense attorney Gregory FitzMaurice said it wasn’t a tragedy in the classic sense.

“This is a case based on stupidity, recklessness … and immaturity by my client as he was a contributor to the death of Stacey Calhoun,” he said.

He said a presentence investigation showed that Matthews is barely literate, comes from a dysfunctional family, has no family support, has not held a steady job and has used alcohol and drugs.

“Basically, he’s going nowhere,” the attorney said. A term at the North Idaho Correctional Institution at Cottonwood can help Matthews with his drug and alcohol problem, FitzMaurice said.