Previously Convicted of Murdering Girlfriend and Assaulting Family Member

BOISE – United States Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced today that Donald Leonard Houser, 39, of Weiser, Idaho, was sentenced this morning to two years in federal prison after his supervised release was revoked by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge. Houser was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release.

Houser was convicted in 1995 by a federal jury in Coeur d’Alene of second degree murder and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, for shooting his former girlfriend, Angela LeSarte, in front of Bobbie’s Bar in Plummer, Idaho. Ms. LeSarte was the daughter of former longtime Coeur d’Alene Tribal Chairman Bernard LeSarte, and the mother of four young children. Houser and LaSarte had ended their relationship at the time of the homicide. Houser was sentenced in February 1996 to 180 months in prison and 60 months of supervised release. He commenced his term of supervised release on October 30, 2008, and worked part-time on a ranch in Washington County and at a local hardware store in Weiser. In November 2010, Houser began full-time self-employment as a mechanic.

On August 22, 2011, Houser was arrested by members of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office after an altercation in which he assaulted a family member with a 10-inch knife. On February 15, 2012, a jury found Houser guilty of aggravated assault. On April 23, Houser was sentenced by Third District Judge Susan E. Wiebe to a minimum period of confinement of two years and a subsequent indeterminate period of confinement not to exceed three years in Idaho State prison.

One year of the federal sentenced is to run concurrent with the state sentence imposed in Washington County for aggravated assault. The second year will run consecutive to the state sentence.