POCATELLO — A 64-year-old Fort Hall man twice convicted of beating a well-known Pocatello bar bouncer to death 12 years ago following a successful appeal of his first guilty verdict received the maximum possible prison sentence Thursday.

Sixth District Judge Rick Carnaroli sentenced Martin Edmo Ish to a unified 15 years in prison, the maximum length permitted for a voluntary manslaughter conviction, and ordered Ish serve at least 14 of those years incarcerated before being eligible for parole. Ish was convicted of the voluntary manslaughter charge in August following an eight-day trial at the Bannock County Courthouse in Pocatello.

Carnaroli was introspective when interpreting his role in deciphering the appropriate sentence to impose against Ish, taking into account Ish’s risk to reoffend if put on probation while also understanding that a human life was lost because of Ish’s actions.

While addressing Ish, Carnaroli spoke out against a public that has been desensitized to violence and that he could not be sure Ish wouldn’t again lash out a person who disrespected him, similar to the June 14, 2009, incident in which Ish fatally struck 56-year-old Eugene Lorne Red Elk in the head in the parking lot of Duffy’s Tavern in west Pocatello.

“The stuff that we saw as kids on TV and in the movies, this society is just numb to violence now,” Carnaroli said. “There’s no way we could have watched the graphic violence that is on network TV and movies today, but now it’s everywhere. I don’t think it’s a cause and effect thing, but since you’ve been in prison it’s been my observation that violence in this particular community has increased.”

Carnaroli continued, “The number of violent crimes in this community and in this country continues to grow. … This society is numb to violence and I don’t know what you are capable of now. We’re both older, but you’re still of large stature and probably capable, if wronged again or if you perceive you’ve been disrespected, to not walk away. You will take care of it and go back to resorting to violence.”

Red Elk was not just a well-respected bouncer at a local tavern. Red Elk was a member of the Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes and has family throughout the Intermountain West and Pacific Northwest. A father of four boys who also operated a newsroom camera for the local NBC affiliate KPVI News Channel 6 for several years, Red Elk was described during Ish’s second trial as a “gentle giant” by the owner of Duffy’s Tavern.

Red Elk sustained severe trauma to his brain from Ish’s attack. His family made the gut-wrenching decision to discontinue life support measures three days after the incident.

The unified 15-year prison sentence imposed Thursday carries four more mandatory years behind bars than the initial sentence Ish received upon his first conviction in 2017 before the Idaho Supreme Court remanded the case back to the 6th Judicial District for a new trial last year.

Similar to the first trial and sentencing hearing, Ish invoked his 5th Amendment right and did not testify in his own defense during his second jury trial in August, nor did he address the court for leniency after the guilty verdict was delivered.

Carnaroli did not impose any new fines or attorney fees against Ish, but did order he pay about $250 in court costs.

Bannock County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Godfrey recommended Carnaroli impose a 15-year prison sentence with 12 mandatory years. Godfrey said it was the same sentence prosecutors recommended in 2017.

“We didn’t want to give the impression that we were punishing Ish for exercising his rights,” Godfrey said. “But this sure has been a long time coming. It’s been six years since we originally charged this. We were very concerned for the reason the Idaho Supreme Court remanded the case and were very cognizant in our preparation of not having any miscues or missteps that would cause this case to be questioned again.”

Godfrey, Bannock County Prosecutor Steve Herzog and Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jonathan Radford said they were supportive of the judge’s ruling and were appreciative of his introspective approach to the sentence.

Among myriad issues raised in the appeal, the Idaho Supreme Court opined that a ruling from David C. Nye — the former 6th District Judge who handled the first trial and is now a chief U.S. district judge — finding that prosecutors did not remove a potential juror with discriminatory intent was “unsupported by substantial, competent evidence and … clearly erroneous”

Ish’s Pocatello attorney, Chief Deputy Public Defender J. Scott Andrew, had argued that Ish should receive credit for the time he has already been incarcerated and be released from jail on felony probation.

The Bannock County Public Defender’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment for this story.

Carnaroli noted during the end of the hearing Thursday that Ish has already expressed an intent to appeal the second guilty verdict and Andrew filed a motion for a new trial on Sept. 22.

A spokesperson with the Idaho Supreme Court confirmed Thursday that documents related to an appeal for Ish have not yet been submitted.