Sentence stands in deadly attack

SANDPOINT — The Idaho Court of Appeals is affirming the sentence imposed against paranoid schizophrenic man who went on a violent rampage in Bayview that left one person dead and three others injured.

Larry Ward Cragun was accused of attacking four family members with a framing hammer and a kitchen knife during the December 2010 blitz.

Patricia Heath, 43, was killed. Injured were Heath’s mother-in-law, Lorraine Wallis; Heath’s husband, Michael; and couple’s son, Michael.

Cragun, 33, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault. First District Judge Benjamin Simpson imposed a life sentence on the first-degree murder charge last year. Fixed, 15-year terms where handed down on the remaining counts.

The sentences run concurrently and Cragun has to serve at least 30 years of the life sentence before he can be considered for parole.

Cragun appealed, arguing that the sentences were excessive.

But Chief Judge Sergio Gutierrez, Judge Karen Lansing and John Melanson rejected Cragun’s argument, according to an unpublished opinion released by the appeals court on May 23.

The appeals court held that the sentence held up to its standard of review and other factors that are considered in evaluating the reasonableness of a sentence.

“Therefore, Cragun’s judgment of conviction and sentences are affirmed,” the court’s opinion said.

At his sentencing hearing in Kootenai County, Cragun’s defense counsel contended that the attack was a result of not being treated for his mental illness. Court records in Bonner County related to Cragun’s conviction for felony domestic violence charted his descent into paranoia.

Cragun contacted law enforcement in Kootenai County more than 20 times to report that his neighbors had burglarized his home and poisoned him, court documents indicate. He also said federal officials were following him and placed recording devices in his home.

Cragun is serving his sentence at the Idaho State Correctional Institutional in Kuna, according to the Idaho Department of Correction. He is eligible for parole in 2040, IDOC’s website indicated.