Idaho man sentenced over mass shooting threats

An Idaho man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for making threats to kill his defense attorney, the prosecutor handling his case, and members of the public, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.

Trevor J. Lunney, 39, from Lewiston, was sentenced on Tuesday to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was previously convicted on December 10, 2024. According to court documents, Lunney was under Washington State community custody for a prior conviction involving threats to kill when he began making new threats in July 2022.

In messages sent to his Department of Corrections officer, Lunney referenced committing a school shooting at an Asotin County school and a mass shooting at the Asotin County Fair parade. One message warned that “in 19 days, mass violence becomes inevitable.”

On July 18, 2022, after being contacted by officers, Lunney made additional threats, including a five-year plan to carry out a mass shooting and livestream the attack. He was arrested later that day by the Clarkston Police Department and booked into the Asotin County Jail.

While in custody, Lunney sent emails, letters, and placed phone calls in which he continued to express anger toward the criminal justice system. He made repeated references to acquiring an AR-15 and described plans to “do pure evil to countless souls,” according to trial evidence. He also made specific threats against his own defense attorney and the prosecutor assigned to his case.

On December 5, 2022, Lunney sent an email from jail stating, “I want to have a murder-suicide with my lawyer when I leave here,” and “I want to kill my lawyer and the prosecutors when I get out,” referencing plans to “attack a crowd.”

“I want to thank the victims and witnesses who bravely came forward and testified, helping to hold Mr. Lunney accountable for his deeply disturbing threats,” said Acting United States Attorney Rich Barker. “Lunney not only threatened to carry out mass violence, including a school shooting he chillingly described as ‘Sandy Hook Part II,’ but also targeted the very individuals working to ensure justice.”