In the small community of Saint Maries, Idaho, the life of Moses Shearer, a 23-year-old White male, was cut tragically short on June 29, 2022. On the preceding evening, police responded to reports of gunfire at the Ridgeview Apartments. There, in the parking lot, they discovered Shearer suffering from a single gunshot wound. He was rushed to Benewah Community Hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injury.
The investigation into the shooting quickly identified a suspect, leading law enforcement on a manhunt. The following day, with the assistance of the Kootenai County SWAT team, Benewah County Sheriff's Office, Idaho State Police, and the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, 20-year-old Lonnie James Layman was apprehended. Layman's vehicle was discovered abandoned near the St. Joe River Road in Shoshone County, and he was taken into custody in the Calder area.
Subsequent legal proceedings revealed that the shooting was the result of a dispute over a woman. During his trial, it was established that Layman had shot Shearer in the back. In a plea agreement with the Benewah County Prosecutor's Office, Layman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. This agreement came with a sentencing recommendation of a 30-year prison term, with the first 23 years being fixed, followed by seven years of parole eligibility. The court ultimately upheld this recommendation, sentencing Lonnie Layman for the murder of Moses Shearer.
