BOISE - Michael A. Southerland, 26, of Twin Falls County, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday to 42 months in prison for unlawful possession of firearms, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief United States District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Southerland to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $1,000 fine. Southerland pleaded guilty on March 21, 2016.
According to the plea agreement, Southerland admitted that on Oct. 28, 2015, he knowingly possessed two firearms after having been convicted of felony possession of a destructive device in California.
Southerland was arrested after law enforcement responded to a 911 call to the residence that he shared with his girlfriend, Lillian Cawley, and her daughter. The residence formerly belonged to Glen Cawley, Lillian Cawley’s estranged husband. In March 2015, Glen Cawley was found dead at the residence, having been shot in the back of the head with a shotgun. Lillian Cawley and Southerland subsequently moved into the residence. The murder of Glen Cawley is still under investigation.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the ATF, and the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
