Coeur d’Alene – Qaya Mikel Gordon, 20, of Lapwai, Idaho was sentenced to six years in federal prison for assault with a dangerous weapon, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
After a two-and-a-half-day trial in June 2022, a federal jury found Gordon guilty of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. According to trial testimony and court records, on November 1, 2021, Gordon went into a building where his mother and her then boyfriend were staying and repeatedly struck them both with a hammer. He also hit a six-month-old puppy in the attack. All injured parties required treatment by medical personnel.
After Gordon completes his prison term, he will serve three years of supervised release wherein he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office. In addition to the prison sentence, Gordon was ordered to pay $11,782.08 in restitution.
The motive for the attack was unclear. At sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye commented that it was a heinous crime and the United States’ requested sentence of six years was appropriate.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit, of the District of Idaho, commended the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Nez Perce Tribal Police, which led to charges.