Fort Hall Man Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter

POCATELLO – Joaquin Broncho, 19, of Fort Hall, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to voluntary manslaughter, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Broncho was indicted by the federal grand jury in Pocatello on September 23, 2014, on a charge of second-degree murder.  Broncho was previously charged as a juvenile in this case, but his case was later transferred to adult court.

According to the plea agreement, on August 29, 2014, Broncho and others were involved in a fight outside of a residence on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.  Broncho went into the house, obtained a knife and went back outside and stabbed the victim, Joey Runninghorse.   Runninghorse was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead as a result of the stabbing.

The charge of voluntary manslaughter is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Broncho is scheduled to be sentenced on May 16, 2016, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Fort Hall Police Department.