In January 2020, in a two-bedroom trailer in Garden City, James Buck was murdered by his paternal nephew, Emerson C. Buck IV. The 31-year-old Emerson Buck IV slashed and stabbed his uncle in the home they shared. Following the fatal attack, Buck fled from the police but was eventually apprehended. He was initially charged with second-degree murder, but prosecutors later amended the charge to first-degree murder, with an additional charge of resisting arrest.
The trial began on May 11,
2021, and after a six-day jury trial and four hours of deliberation, Emerson Buck IV was found guilty of first-degree murder with an enhancement for using a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime, as well as resisting and obstructing an officer. During the jury selection process, the prosecutor used a peremptory strike to remove the only Black juror in the venire. Because Buck is also Black, his defense raised a *Batson* challenge, alleging racial discrimination. The district court, however, denied the challenge, accepting the State's race-neutral reasons for the strike.
Following his conviction, Emerson Buck IV appealed, arguing that the district court had made several errors, including the denial of his *Batson* challenge, limiting the cross-examination of a detective, and preventing him from arguing an alibi defense during his closing argument. The Idaho Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction, and the Idaho Supreme Court later upheld this decision, finding no errors in the district court's handling of the trial. Emerson Buck IV was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for the murder of his uncle.
