Idaho Teen Who Kept ‘Trophy’ Bone After Brutally Murdering and Dismembering Friend Learns His Fate
GOODING COUNTY, IDAHO — A 16-year-old Idaho boy who helped murder and dismember his friend, later keeping one of the victim’s bones as a “trophy,” has been sentenced to 23 years to life in prison, after telling the courtroom he deserves to suffer for what he did.
Rolan Delacruz, tried as an adult, pleaded guilty to the 2024 murder of 18-year-old Dax Richins — a killing prosecutors described as one of the most disturbing in recent Idaho memory.
Delacruz and co-defendant Alexander Garcia, who was 17 at the time, lured Richins to a remote area, killed him, and later returned to dismember his body. Garcia was sentenced earlier this month to 25 years to life.
Murder Planned Under the Guise of a Bonfire
According to court documents obtained by KIVI-TV, Delacruz and Garcia told Richins they were heading to a bonfire on June 24, 2024. Instead, they drove the unsuspecting teen to a desolate spot in Gooding County.
Once there, the pair attacked Richins with brass knuckles and knives, stabbing and beating him to death before fleeing the scene.
The next day, the teens returned to the body. Investigators say they dismembered the remains, removing parts that could identify the victim and burying the rest in a shallow grave.
Detectives later found a bone inside Garcia’s truck, which he allegedly “kept as a trophy.”
“He took it because he wanted to remember it,” an investigator wrote in the affidavit.
Chilling Evidence Found on Snapchat
Authorities also uncovered disturbing Snapchat videos and text messages in which Garcia boasted about the killing.
In one message, he said he had to “physically deform a human skull,” and in another, he confessed, “I killed sum1.”
The investigation took months, but by September 2024, police located Richins’ skull near the Snake River Canyon rim — with the rest of his body found nearby.
‘Let Me Suffer,’ Teen Killer Tells Judge
During Monday’s sentencing hearing, Delacruz appeared somber and remorseful as he read a statement to the courtroom.
“Every night, I relive that night where Alex and I killed Dax,” Delacruz said. “I know what I did was wrong — and not only wrong, but a little psychotic. I know you’re thinking, ‘Good, let him suffer.’ I agree with you. Let me suffer.”
Judge Rosemary Emory sentenced Delacruz to 23 years to life, rejecting any possibility of juvenile detention. He will serve his time in the Idaho Department of Corrections.
Family Calls It a ‘Senseless’ Murder
The victim’s father, Rodney Richins, delivered an emotional victim impact statement in court.
“It felt so senseless how these young men could take the life of my son and not think of the consequences,” he said. “I can’t imagine what Dax was thinking when his friends turned on him and stabbed him to death.”
The courtroom fell silent as he spoke about his son’s final moments and the enduring pain left behind.
Justice, But No Closure
Prosecutors called the crime “a calculated act of cruelty” and said the sentence reflected the gravity of the murder.
Both teens will spend decades behind bars before becoming eligible for parole.
The Richins family said they hope the case serves as a warning about youth violence and desensitization in the digital age — a theme prosecutors echoed, citing the killers’ social media activity after the murder.
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