Pocatello Man Charged in Sword Killing

A man is dead, and this charge is not a conviction. Self-defense depends on what Cantrell reasonably believed, and a rifle with a trigger lock is what the state will use to argue he was not facing a gun that could be fired. Nov. 18 is a probable-cause hearing, not a trial.

Ronald Dean Cantrell, 68, of Pocatello, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his neighbor, Wayne E. Weberpal. He is accused of stabbing Weberpal through the chest with a short sword.

Police say the call came in about 2:10 p.m. on Nov. 5, at an apartment complex in the 1100 block of North Main Street. They found Weberpal in the back of a car with a samurai sword in his upper torso. Cantrell was standing by the car with his hands raised. He told an officer, "I killed that guy," and said he had acted in self-defense against Weberpal's gun. The rifle officers found against the car had a trigger lock on it.

He was arraigned Friday and is being held at the Bannock County Jail. A public defender is representing him. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 18 at 1:30 p.m. If he is convicted of second-degree murder, the range is 10 years to life.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.