McDermott acquitted in murder case

SANDPOINT — A Sagle man charged with second-degree murder in 2019 has been acquitted after a retrial was ordered due to conflicting jury instructions given during the initial case.

In the second trial, which wrapped up Friday, Michael Ryan McDermott, 50, was acquitted on a charge of second-degree murder.

“This case illustrates the strength of our system of justice,” said Sean Walsh, McDermott’s defense attorney. “The Idaho Supreme Court scrutinized this case and reversed the conviction. The court system then went to great lengths to ensure that Mr. McDermott received a fair trial. Idahoans should take confidence from this case that their rights are solemnly protected by our system of justice.”

Walsh said sometimes the only fair way to decide self-defense cases that involve a death is by a jury.

However, while McDermott was acquitted, Walsch said it does not bring back the life that was lost.

“While Mr. McDermott acted in self-defense and was therefore not guilty, that does not alleviate the pain felt by the Waholi family at the loss of their loved one,” he said. “My heartfelt condolences certainly go out to them.”

McDermott, was sentenced to 12-25 years for the death of 26-year-old Robert Cameroen Hegseth Wohali. According to court documents, in March 2019, McDermott went to Alicia Flynn’s residence to obtain methamphetamine and observed a male in Flynn’s RV trailer. When McDermott asked Flynn who it was, court records contend she told him that it was “none of his business.”

McDermott slammed Flynn’s head in the door of the trailer, causing her to fall to the floor, according to the documents. Hegseth Wohali exited the trailer wielding a double-sided ax, court documents said. McDermott then shot Hegseth Wohali through the heart. He died within minutes.

Following the shooting, Flynn told a nearby resident on Great Northern Road about the shooting, but the resident waited for an unknown amount of time before contacting law enforcement. In Flynn’s testimony, she said neither of the two had access to a phone, which is why they never informed law enforcement.

The two took Hegseth Wohali’s body to Gold Hill where they buried him in a makeshift grave, according to court documents.

McDermott was convicted in October 2019 and sentenced in December 2019 but filed an appeal shortly afterward. Justices agreed with McDermott, stating in their ruling in March 2022 that “the district court abused its discretion when it gave the jury an additional, improper malice instruction.”