Sentencing hearing scheduled for suspect who pleaded guilty to killing Ammon man

Westley Hightower | Bonneville County Jail
IDAHO FALLS – A man who pleaded guilty to murdering an Ammon resident 18 months ago will be sentenced in June.
Westley Jonathon Hightower, 19, pleaded guilty to felony first-degree murder last July for his role in killing 68-year-old Larry Powell in September 2020.
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The guilty plea was part of a plea agreement made with Bonneville County prosecutors that stipulates they will recommend no more than 27-years to life in prison. Defense Attorney Rocky Wixom will also recommend Hightower spend no less than 20-years in prison. The plea agreement is non-binding, meaning District Judge Dane H. Watkins Jr. does not have to follow the recommendations and could sentence Hightower to more or less time in prison.
Hightower, who is Powell’s adopted son, is one of two teens who was arrested after deputies found Powell’s body at his home on Ammon Road. Daniel Wood was the other person involved. Judge Watkins sentenced Wood to a 20-year fixed prison sentence with 40-years indeterminate in March.
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Following the shooting, someone called 911 saying a man wearing a tan hoodie with dark hair had shot Powell and run away from the house.
Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies found Wood, who said he was only a witness to the shooting and that his friend, Westley Hightower, pulled the trigger.
“I coerced and assisted Hightower,” Wood said at his change-of-plea hearing. “I distracted the guy while Hightower shot him.”
Wood told detectives he met Hightower just days before the shooting, and they had conversations about killing Powell, according to detectives.
“Wood disclosed that Hightower offered him ‘some money’ and to live at Powell’s residence if he helped Hightower murder Powell and his wife,” according to court documents.
About two days before the shooting, both Hightower and Wood admitted to previously trying to poison Powell in their attempts to kill him, documents say.
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Hightower’s sentencing hearing will take place on June 24. It was originally scheduled for March 7. His charge carries a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment with a 10-year minimum. It also carries with it a $5,000 compensatory fine and an additional $50,000 fine.
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Source: eastidahonews.com