OROFINO – A man was arrested Wednesday morning and is being charged with murder in Clearwater County.
According to the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 1:52 a.m. Wednesday, a report was received of a homicide at 43 Happy Loop in Ahsahka. Court documents say 44-year-old Andrew Martson told the dispatcher he had just killed someone.
Deputies arrived on scene to find Martson seated on a vehicle in front of a camper. The documents say Martson told a deputy that he had just stabbed his friend. A deceased male with multiple stab wounds was found inside the camper. The victim was identified Thursday morning as 38-year-old Ronnie Lee Cheney of Casper, Wyoming. The court documents say Cheney appeared to have been nearly decapitated.
Martson was placed under arrest. He told deputies that he and Cheney were shooting up “dope” when he had a psychosis episode and began hearing things telling him that Cheney “needed to die.”
Martson was booked into the Clearwater County Jail. He is charged with first degree murder and persistent violator and is currently being held on a $750,000 bond.
Court records show Martson, in January of 2017, had been found guilty of battery in a Latah County domestic violence case. He was sentenced to serve 3 to 12 years in prison in that case. The Idaho Department of Corrections lists his current status as on parole. The court documents say Martson’s last known address was the Idaho Correctional Institution in Orofino.
A preliminary hearing has been set for February 5 in Clearwater County Court.
