Two of the three officers charged with crimes related to the slaying of 19-year-old Boise pleaded guilty to robbery, and both will spend the first part of their sentences in juvenile detention.
Once they are transferred to the Idaho Department of Corrections after they turn 21, they will serve years in prison before being eligible for parole, even though they were not directly responsible for the shooting death of 19-year-old Boise man Tiger Canoe.
The three men were accused of planning to rob Canoy and his girlfriend “by force or fear,” the Ada County prosecutor said during the sentencing, and Canoy was shot and later died in a hospital in January 2025.
Miguel Angel-Martinez, 16, was sentenced to 26 years in prison and must serve 11 years before being eligible for parole. Jordan Castillo, 17, received a sentence of 28.5 years, with 13 years and six months suspended, meaning there is no chance of parole until then.
Angel-Martinez and Castillo were originally charged as adults with first-degree murder and accessory to grand larceny, in addition to two counts of robbery. Under Idaho law, someone can be charged with murder even if they didn’t actually commit the murder, as long as they were in the process of committing another crime.
As part of the plea agreement, other charges were dismissed in exchange for guilty pleas to robbery.
Daniel Alaniz Pineda, 19, is accused of shooting Canoy and has pleaded not guilty to six charges, including first-degree murder, robbery, aggravated battery and concealing evidence.
During the sentencing of Castillo and Angel-Martinez, Tiger Canoy’s mother, Capri Canoy, said that while five young lives were profoundly affected that night, she hoped to see the sentences reflect the emotional pain her family faced.
“We’re already serving our sentence,” Capri Canoy said. “Tiger was given no choice but to pay the ultimate price, his entire life. We, his family, are serving a life sentence without him. No visits, no phone calls, no letters, no Christmas Eve, no New Years, no celebrations, nothing.”
“I’m going on a date with a high school sweetheart”
According to Ada County prosecutors, Angel-Martinez contacted Canoy asking him to buy marijuana wax from her and they planned to meet Jan. 19 in the Albertsons parking lot on Coal Road.
Canoy had known Angel-Martinez since high school, Canoy’s mother told the court during the sentencing.
The last words she got from her son were: “Okay mom, I’m going to meet my high school home angel. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I love you.”
Before the meeting, Angel-Martinez, Castillo and Alaniz Pineda bought guns, prosecutors said.
Canoy and his girlfriend, who lived with the family, went to the parking lot. Surveillance footage showed Angel-Martinez, Castillo and Pineda exiting their vehicle wearing masks and carrying guns, the indictment said.
Castillo was seen slashing the vehicle’s tires, and Alaniz Pineda pointed a gun at Canoy, demanding wax along with Canoy and his girlfriend’s phones and IDs, prosecutors allege.
The couple gave the criminals their belongings, and the three got back in their car and drove down Coal Road, according to authorities. Tiger and his girlfriend followed his car to see his license plate, prosecutors said in court.
Angel-Martinez, Castillo and Pineda stopped in a church parking lot, and the canoe drove off. Prosecutors said Alaniz Pineda got out of the car and fired two shots at Canoy’s vehicle.
The prosecution said one bullet hit Kanoy in the head and the other in his girlfriend’s buttocks and elbow. Canoy was taken to a local hospital, where he died a short time later.
Defense attorneys say rehabilitation is possible
Attorneys for Castillo and Angel-Martinez argued for the court to give the two minors a chance to rehabilitate while serving their sentences, saying they would have a better chance of reforming in a juvenile facility.
Angel-Martinez’s defense attorney, Randall Barnum, spoke about the formative years before age 21 and said that in juvenile corrections, Angel-Martinez has engaged in the honor system and participated in the education process.
“I’ve seen (Angel-Martinez) do what he can to follow the rules, to better himself, to improve himself, to be better tomorrow despite those particular circumstances, because at the end of the day that’s all he can do,” Barnum said.
Ada County Judge Joseph Borton, who presided over both cases, agreed to allow Castillo and Angel-Martinez to remain in juvenile detention until age 21.
Angel-Martinez and Castillo both gave statements to Canoy’s family and his girlfriend during the sentencing.
“I’m really sorry for what I did that sad day. I also hope that one day you won’t see me as a monster, because I want to live my life to be good for others and to respect the lives that I harmed,” Castillo said.
Tiger Canoe’s family raised more than $1,500 through GoFundMe to pay for cremation costs and legal fees.
‘He was trustworthy and loyal; They took advantage of it.
Capri Canoy told the court that the second worst moment of her life was when she received the call that her only son had been shot. She said the worst happened when she had to decide to take him off life support at the hospital.
“The impact of his loss will haunt our family for the rest of our lives,” Capri Canoy said. “I died next to my son that day. The difference is that I continue to breathe, the tiger doesn’t.”
She said her son was a very trustworthy and loyal person, and the defendants took advantage of that.
She recalled that her son had overcome many obstacles in his life after being diagnosed with several behavioral disorders at a young age. She said she struggled to make friends.
Capri Canoy said that during high school her son became more social and made more friends. She said she met her girlfriend around that time, and they became inseparable. The two were “excitedly planning their future together” and saving money to move into their own apartment.
“He was someone people remembered even if they only met him once or twice,” she said. “He had such a big personality and at 6-feet 3-inches tall he really stood out in a crowd. He loved to laugh, joke, and most of all he loved his music.”
