COEUR d'ALENE — A judge sentenced a St. Maries family convicted of conspiring to hide evidence of an illegal kill, sending a father and son to prison and placing a third family member on probation without hunting privileges.

Following a weeklong trial in June, a jury convicted married couple Eddy and Angela Dills and their adult son, Daniel, of conspiracy to conceal evidence, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Jurors acquitted the family of charges of conspiring to hunt and sell animal parts illegally. 

"The wildlife of this state belongs to all the citizens of Idaho, not to any citizen in particular," First District Judge John Cafferty said in court Monday. "The victims are all the citizens of Idaho, hunters and non-hunters alike." 

Cafferty handed down a different sentence to each defendant, noting that they all had different levels of culpability and different criminal histories.  

Prosecutors accused the family 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 at that time. Daniel Dills had his hunting license revoked for three years beginning in 2024, while Eddy Dills lost his license for life in 2019. Prosecutors alleged that Angela Dills, the only one with hunting privileges, provided cover for her husband and son, taking credit for their illegal kills. 

In a recorded conversation with another hunter Feb. 1, 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. 

A Fish and Game investigator followed blood, footprints and dog tracks from the place where the lion was found to where he believed it was killed. He found three sets of footprints at the kill site, including bloody boot prints that matched the size and tread of boots later found in Daniel Dills' home. 

The state alleged that the family dragged the lion to another location and dumped it to avoid detection after encountering another hunting party. 

Prosecuting attorney Monica Bushling said the Dillses dumped the juvenile male lion "like a piece of garbage." 

"It was removed from the gene pool," she said. "It's not going to produce any offspring. The citizens of this state have been deprived of what it could have contributed." 

For Angela Dills, who has no previous criminal history and serious health problems, Cafferty ordered a withheld judgment and placed her on supervised probation for five years. During that time, she cannot hunt or fish, nor can she accompany or assist anyone engaged in those activities. She can't possess weapons, hunting dogs or hunting equipment. 

Cafferty also ordered 30 days of discretionary jail time and a $5,000 fine. 

Before receiving her sentence, Angela Dills said that her husband and son weren't responsible for killing and dumping the lion. Instead, for the first time in court, she blamed a man she knew only as Chance, who she said she had agreed to take hunting. 

It was Chance who shot the lion without a tag, she said, and Chance's footprints at the kill site, wearing her son's boots. 

"Sounds like a very good alibi, but we had a trial," Cafferty said. "I don't find it very credible." 

Cafferty sentenced Daniel Dills to five years in prison with parole eligibility after 18 months and ordered a $7,000 fine. He noted that the 22-year-old has been involved in three wildlife violation cases and pleaded guilty to illegally selling a lion hide in Latah County in 2024. 

"Most Fish and Game violations go without consequences," Cafferty said before handing down the sentence. "Most people don't get caught. In this particular case, you were caught." 

Eddy Dills cursed at bailiffs as they led his son away in handcuffs. When he addressed the court, he said he'd take his son's place in prison if he could. 

"My youngest son is going to prison because of my past," he said. 

Cafferty said the family members weren't being punished for what Eddy Dills did in the past but for their own illegal actions. 

He sentenced Eddy Dills to four years in prison with no time fixed, meaning Dills is eligible for parole right away. How long he remains in prison depends on his conduct, Cafferty said. 

In 2017, Eddy Dills was charged in connection with one of Washington's largest poaching rings. The group was accused of poaching more than a hundred animals, including elk, deer, bobcat and bear. The Reflector reported in 2019 that Washington authorities had documented dozens of instances of suspected poaching, "close to half of which implicated Dills." 

Eddy Dills later pleaded guilty to hunting a mountain lion with a dog, a practice that is illegal in Washington. In a separate Washington case, he pleaded guilty to unlawfully hunting big game, illegal bear baiting and wasting fish and wildlife. Prosecutors said he was also convicted of using dogs to hunt bears or lions in Oregon. 

Before receiving his sentence, Eddy Dills said hunting is central to his life and the lives of his family. 

"All I know is being in the woods," he said. "I'm a retired logger. I lived in the woods. That got taken away. The hunting did, anyway." 

Bushling said all three of Eddy Dills' children have convictions for wildlife crimes. 

"It isn't a stretch to suggest that Mr. Eddy Dills has set an example for his children and it's played out in their lives," she 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. 

    Angela Dills waits to receive her sentence for conspiracy to conceal evidence in court Monday.
  

    Daniel Dills shares a laugh with his parents while the three await sentencing for conspiracy to conceal evidence.
  

    Eddy Dills listens as his wife, Angela Dills, receives her sentence in court Monday.