A 37-year-old man being held at a federal medical facility after his insanity acquittal in the 1999 fatal shooting of ranger Steve Makuakane-Jarrell will probably spend the rest of his life in custody. On Monday, a federal district court judge ruled that Eugene Frederick Boyce III is dangerous and ordered him to a secured medical facility to be chosen by the Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson, who argued that Boyce should not be released, said that he will remain in custody until he demonstrates that he is not a danger. "The government believes quite firmly that his mental disease renders him a substantial danger, and we'll be fighting to keep him in custody for as long as we possibly can," preferably the rest of his life, Sorenson said. Makuakane-Jarrell was shot after responding to a complaint about Boyce's dogs. Boyce, who was homeless at the time, grabbed the ranger's gun during a struggle and shot him. Boyce's case was delayed several times because he was not ruled competent to face trial until this year. At the trial, mental-health experts testified that Boyce suffered from severe paranoia and schizophrenia. Les Inafuku, chief ranger at Kaloko-Honokohau, said that rangers were pleased because the decision was the best possible outcome, given the circumstances of the case. "We have to look at the big picture and not just think of park rangers," he said. "If somebody is a danger to a park ranger, obviously that person is probably a danger to everybody."
