05/09/08

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ A $50 robbery that ended in a fatal stabbing
in Boise has resulted in prison terms for two Ontario, Ore., men.

Twenty-two-year-old Joseph Garcia was sentenced Thursday in 4th
District Court to 30 years before he will be eligible for parole,
and 21-year-old Mark Pando got at least 25 years.

Garcia pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and Pando to
robbery in the stabbing death of 24-year-old Christopher J. Swanson
on Oct. 17.

According to court filings, Garcia and Pando told investigators
they met Swanson in a bar and gave him $50 to buy drugs for them.
Then, according to authorities, the pair suspected that Swanson was
going to run off with the money, so they decided to get it back.

Swanson was found stabbed to death in the throat.
___

Information from: The Idaho Statesman,
http://www.idahostatesman.com

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-05-09-08 0039MDT<