FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| Date: | April 12, 2021 |
| Contact: | Emily Lowe Public Information Officer 208-287-7700 |
| RE: | State v. Bryon Ely – Jury Trial |
Byron Ely, 61, was convicted by a jury on Friday for soliciting the kidnapping and/or murder of a 7-year-old girl. Mr. Ely was found guilty by a different jury in March of this year for lewd conduct with a child under 16.
Mr. Ely was indicted in July of 2019 on one count of lewd conduct with a minor child under 16. That charge stemmed from an incident that occurred in March of 2019 during which Mr. Ely had sexual contact with a 7-year-old girl. In February of 2020, less than one month before he was initially set to go to trial in the lewd conduct case, Mr. Ely attempted to hire someone to kidnap and/or kill the victim of the lewd conduct charge. The person who Mr. Ely attempted to hire to kidnap and/or kill the child reported the solicitation to the Boise Police Department and an investigation began. Mr. Ely was arrested for solicitation in late February 2020.
Mr. Ely’s sentencing for criminal solicitation is set for 9 a.m., July 7 before District Judge Peter Barton, and his sentencing for lewd conduct is set for 3 p.m., May 11 before District Judge Patrick Miller.
The maximum penalty for lewd conduct is up to life imprisonment, and the maximum penalty for criminal solicitation to commit a crime in Mr. Ely’s case is 12.5 years imprisonment.