FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| Date: | Nov. 7, 2023 |
| Contact: | Emily Lowe Public Information Officer 208-287-7700 |
| RE: | State v. Ruben Diaz – Sentencing |
BOISE – On Tuesday, the Honorable Ada County District Judge Jonathan Medema sentenced 41-year-old Ruben Diaz to serve life in prison for the random, brutal attack of a Boise man and being a persistent violator.
On Nov. 8, 2018, Mr. Diaz was caught by a Boise Police Officer attacking then-74-year-old Gary Vinsonhaler. Mr. Diaz attacked Mr. Vinsonhaler on the victim’s property by repeatedly slashing him with a knife on his head and neck. Mr. Vinsonhaler sustained serious injuries, but thankfully survived. The victim and Mr. Diaz were not known to each other. When officers arrived on scene, Mr. Diaz refused to follow commands, and resisted arrest.
“There is no reason to believe that Mr. Diaz will refrain from attacking others if in the community,” said Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Kendal McDevitt, who handled the sentencing argument. “Yet, there is reason to believe that Mr. Diaz will attack again if in the community based on his actions in this case and in 2006 and 2007, which only ended when he was apprehended.”
In September of this year, a jury convicted Mr. Diaz of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon enhancement, resisting and obstructing law enforcement, and being a persistent violator. Mr. Diaz was convicted of aggravated battery twice before this 2018 attack, and was out on parole for those charges only four months before stabbing Mr. Vinsonhaler.
“The defendant brutally attacked an unsuspecting man, and I am relieved that justice has finally been served and the community made safer with this sentence,” said Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts. “Thank you again to Mr. Vinsonhaler and his family for showing great patience and strength during this long court process. Thank you also to the jury which found Mr. Diaz guilty for this terrible crime. I commend both the team at Boise Police and my trial team for their thorough work on this case.”