Crimes of ‘violent rage’: Boise man, 52, sentenced for beating two men in one night
After pleading guilty to counts of voluntary manslaughter and aggravated battery in May, a Boise man was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison on Thursday.
Lance Garver, now 52, punched and kicked Steven Ochoa, 68, during a drunken altercation on Dec. 10, 2020. Ochoa went into a coma and died about three weeks later. The same night, in the same home, Garver also battered Cameron Bilbrey, 27, leaving him with broken bones in his face. Bilbrey later died, though not directly from those injuries.
Garver was arrested in Oregon in August 2021 and originally charged with second-degree murder, aggravated battery and providing false information to police, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
Fourth District Judge Patrick Miller sentenced Garver to 20 years fixed and 10 years indeterminate, meaning he must serve at least 20 before being eligible for parole. Garver also was ordered to pay $94,533 in restitution.
“The crime committed here is by all accounts one of violent rage,” Miller said. “It is not simply the product of drinking alcohol, but drinking alcohol by someone who has a long history of alcohol abuse and a long history of extreme violence against others while drinking.”
Miller’s sentence followed the recommendation of Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Whitney Welsh. Ada County public defender Abraham Wingrove requested that of the 30-year sentence, only 10 years be fixed.
Victim’s father, Garver share emotional statements
David Bilbrey described his son in court as his “golden child.” He said Cameron Bilbrey was intelligent, strong and “always looked after the downtrodden.”
Cameron graduated from UCLA and wanted to become a lawyer, his father said. He began law school after the attack, but he had to stop as a result of his injuries and because his mind was “not working.”
David Bilbrey said his son had become friends with Garver after meeting him at a bar, and the prosecution said he went over to Garver’s house to drink with him on the night of the attack.
Throughout his statement, David Bilbrey called Garver out for lying about what happened that night. Prosecutors said Ochoa was lying bleeding in the house while Garver sat with Bilbrey in the garage.
“Forgiveness for him is not in my vocabulary,” David Bilbrey said. “I just pity him and the life that he has led and the life that he’s going to have to lead.”
Garver spoke later in the sentencing. Through tears, he addressed the family and friends of Ochoa and Bilbrey, and apologized for the harm he caused to two men he called friends. He said Ochoa and his wife had taken him in and given him a place to stay when no one else would.
“I’m truly sorry,” Garver said. “This is something I’m struggling with every day, and the regret and remorse I feel is sometimes unbearable. I can’t even imagine how you must feel.”
Prosecution details history of alcoholism, violence
Welsh said Garver’s history of alcoholism and violent behavior, as well as multiple unsuccessful attempts at rehabilitation, warranted a long prison sentence.
She added that Garver had been arrested about 50 times in his life and convicted of multiple felonies, including coercion and domestic violence.
“The defendant’s criminal history is replete with alcohol-fueled rage that leads to violence, and it’s only been escalating until we have the victims that we have in this case,” Welsh said. “This type of conduct is unfortunately likely to reoccur because it has been reoccurring since his very first felony conviction.”
Welsh displayed photos from the crime scene where Garver had knocked Ochoa to the ground and repeatedly kicked him while wearing boots. There was blood splattered on walls and the floor, and blood covered Garver’s hands.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 6:12 PM.
