‘You’re going to die in prison:’ Judge hands down life sentence for fatal Nampa stabbing
A 29-year-old Boise man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the January 2024 murder of another man.
During the sentencing Thursday, the prosecution said Hunter Kneppe didn’t regret killing Abel Saenz and that in recorded jail calls he discussed the murder with “disturbing indifference,” according to a news release from the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
“That’s not regret. He wanted to kill him,” Canyon County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Haws argued in court. He asked for a life sentence without parole.
Kneppe’s public defenders asked the judge to consider the possibility of parole after 30 years because the hope of one day being released from prison could motive their client to seek rehabilitation, according to the news release.
But 3rd District Judge Gabriel McCarthy wasn’t persuaded. He pointed to Kneppe’s lack of remorse, ongoing violent behavior in jail and the “brutality” of the killing as reasons for imposing the life sentence, according to the news release.
“Considering the safety of the community and the need for punishment, the consequence of your choices is that you’re going to die in prison,” McCarthy said.
‘Menace to public safety’
Nearly a year ago, officers from the Nampa Police Department responded to the 1200 block of 3rd Avenue North in Nampa after receiving a call that a 29-year-old man, later identified as Saenz, was found dead in an alley. The Caldwell resident had been stabbed to death.
Prosecutors in the Friday release called the attack “unprovoked” and said that after fleeing the crime scene, Kneppe was arrested at a local hospital. He was seeking medical attention for a wound inflicted by Saenz during “his fight for life,” the release said.
Saenz’s family spoke during the sentencing, according to the release, and described him as a “devoted father” to his young son. He was cherished by his family.
“I am thankful for our partners at the Nampa Police Department for their thorough investigation and to my staff for their dedication in prosecuting this case,” Canyon County Prosecutor Christopher Boyd said in the release. “I am especially grateful to Judge McCarthy for his thoughtful and just sentence, which ensures that Hunter Kneppe — a menace to public safety — will no longer pose a threat to our community.”
