COEUR d’ALENE — A Kootenai County jury delivered a mixed verdict Friday in the case of a St. Maries family accused of poaching, convicting them of conspiring to hide evidence of an illegal kill but acquitting them of charges of conspiring to hunt and sell animal parts illegally.

Following a weeklong trial and about 10 hours of deliberation, the 12-person jury found married couple Eddy and Angela Dills and their adult son, Daniel Dills, guilty of conspiracy to conceal evidence, a felony. Jurors acquitted the family of charges of conspiracy to commit unlawful killing of wildlife and conspiracy to sell unlawfully killed wildlife. 

Conspiracy to conceal evidence carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The family is set to be sentenced Aug. 31 before First District Judge John Cafferty. 

“We recognize that this was a complicated matter,” said prosecuting attorney Monica Bushling. “We’re very appreciative of the jury’s time and consideration to it. Ultimately, we feel that each of the defendants being convicted of a felony is a just outcome.” 

Defense counsel for the family declined to comment on the outcome of the case. 

Prosecutors accused the Dillses of illegally killing mountain lions and bobcats across four North Idaho counties between May 2024 and February 2025. 

Two-thirds of the family were without hunting privileges during that time. Daniel Dills had his hunting license revoked for three years beginning in 2024, while Eddy Dills had his revoked for life in 2019. The state alleged that Angela Dills, the only one with hunting privileges, provided cover for her husband and son, taking credit for their illegal kills. 

The conviction stemmed from an incident prosecutors said occurred Feb. 1, 2025, when another hunting party encountered the Dillses near the Little North Fork Coeur d’Alene River. 

In a recorded conversation with a hunter, Eddy Dills said his party had killed a mountain lion and planned to go back for it. Another hunter photographed blood dripping from the back of Eddy Dills’ truck. 

Witnesses testified that they followed a blood trail and tire tracks from a forest road to a ditch where they found a mountain lion that had been shot through the eye. 

A Fish and Game investigator who responded to the scene described for jurors how he followed blood, footprints and dog tracks from the place where the lion was found to where he believed hunting dogs killed it. He said he found bloody boot prints that matched the size and tread of boots later found in Daniel Dills’ home. 

Prosecutors argued that the Dillses, fearing that authorities would catch them with the illegal kill after their encounter with another hunting party, dragged the lion to another location and dumped it there. 

For jurors to convict the Dillses of conspiring to take and sell wildlife illegally, they would have to find beyond a reasonable doubt that the family planned to unlawfully take and sell all four mountain lions and all eight bobcats the state accused them of taking. 

“Regardless of any concern (jurors) had about any animals that were involved, this verdict does mean they had enough confidence in the Feb. 1 lion that was taken to render a verdict of guilty,” Bushling said. “It would be impossible not to have found that there were illegal activities regarding that lion.” 

Mark Rhodes, regional conservation officer with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said he was glad to see the weeklong trial resolved. 

“I appreciate the sacrifices of the witnesses, the jurors and everyone involved in this process,” he said. 

Anyone who observes or has information about a wildlife crime can call the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999 or submit a report online at idfg.idaho.gov/enforcement/tipline. 

Information about potential wildlife crimes can also be reported to the Panhandle Regional Office at 208-769-1414. 

“Fish and Game thanks the public for remaining vigilant in reporting potential wildlife crimes through the Citizens Against Poaching hotline,” the agency said in a statement. “Public involvement plays a critical role in ensuring Idaho’s fish and wildlife exists for future generations.”