Nampa man gets 35 years to life for the November 2014 murder of Jeffrey Dyer

Raul E. Herrera, 22, was sentenced Wednesday for kidnapping and killing Dyer, beating up Dyer's father and stealing meat, drugs, electronics and a sword from the family's Nampa home.

A jury found Herrera guilty of first-degree murder and four other felony charges in July. Co-defendant Angelo Cervantes, 22, entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to 15 years to life in September.

Nampa police began investigating Herrera and Cervantes after receiving a tip that the pair talked about killing Dyer, 46, because he failed to obtain prescription drugs that Herrera planned to turn around and sell on the black market. The pair reportedly also were mad because Dyer was disrespectful when he drove past Herrera’s home.

Probable cause affidavits filed in the case indicated the assailants believed Dyer was dead when they stuffed him into the trunk of his white 1995 Cadillac and took him to a strip-mall parking lot in Ontario, Ore., on Nov. 8, 2014. The car and Dyer's body were discovered the next day. An autopsy showed Dyer died of blunt-force trauma, including severe head injury.

According to court documents, Cervantes confessed to participating in the crimes but said it was Herrera who beat Dyer with a collapsible baton, delivering the fatal blows.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Nampa man gets 35 years to life for the November 2014 murder of Jeffrey Dyer."