Dallas Brower sentenced to life in prison for killing homeless Idaho man Justin Friesner after an IHOP trip

An Idaho resident who killed a homeless man after treating him to breakfast at IHOP has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

In July 2023, 28-year-old Dallas Brower approached two tramps who were sleeping at a bus stop under the pretense of offering them a meal.

Justin Friesner, 24, and his friend Cameron Russell, who had only been homeless for a few months at the time, accepted what appeared to be a friendly gesture, Ada County Assistant Prosecutor Katelyn Farley said during Brower's hearing.

After the three men went to an IHOP near the Boise airport, Brower stabbed Friesner in his car and Russell narrowly escaped with his life.

After Russell fled the scene, officers responded to the grisly crime scene where they found Brower covered in blood and the body of Friesner, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Brower eventually confessed and pleaded guilty in May to first-degree murder of Friesner and aggravated assault of Russell with a deadly weapon.

During the trial, Farley said Brower offered Friesner and Russell a marijuana joint laced with fentanyl.

The men passed out in the back seat of Brower's car after smoking it before waking up in another location.

“Cameron stated that his memory goes black after he took only a few hits before waking up to his best friend being stabbed by the defendant while he was still in the back seat of the defendant's vehicle,” Farley said.

According to Farley, Russell said he remembered waking up to see Brower with a “devilish smile” as he repeatedly stabbed Friesner.

“Justin was the sweetest person I knew,” Russell said. “It traumatized me. I couldn't sleep at night. I watched my best friend die for no reason. “The fact that he has no remorse or anything like that — it’s sad.”

The Ada County Coroner's Office determined that Justin Friesner (pictured) suffered 16 stab wounds to the neck and chest, resulting in his death

Brower initially claimed that Friesner and Russell had attempted to ambush him, but this story lacked credibility when evidence pointed to his motive for murder

When Russell saw what was going on, he jumped into the driver's seat and tried to speed away. The car became stuck unconscious in the gravel pit where Brower had taken them, making escape impossible.

Judge Derrick O'Neill said Friesner probably used his last breaths to tell him to get out of there.

Russell listened, got out of the car and ran until he found workers at the airport who he begged for help.

Boise Police Lt. Jake Nichols was first on the scene and saw Brower pacing while talking on the phone.

Nichols described Brower as “very calm” and “covered in blood,” according to Farley.

Brower initially claimed that Friesner and Russell had attempted to ambush him, but this story lacked credibility when evidence pointed to his motive for murder.

The knife Brower used was buried, and police also discovered a note on his phone written a few hours before the murder in which he expressed his desire to kill.

The Ada County Coroner's Office determined that Friesner sustained 16 stab wounds to his neck and chest, resulting in his death.

“Not a day goes by that I don't wish I was there one last time to protect him in those final moments,” Deslie Friesner, the victim's sister, said in court.

“I can’t imagine how he felt in his final moments. The only thing we know is that he fought until the end because that’s just how he was.”

According to police records, Brower had a history of violent crime and drug use.

Prosecutors revealed that Brower had completed an 18-month stay at a rehab center in Boise just seven days before the murder.

Like Brower, Friesner (pictured) struggled with a meth addiction, his mother Summer said in court

Brower's attorney, Jonathan Loschi, did not dispute that his client committed the murder.

Loschi said Brower had suffered from hallucinations for years and began noticing violent tendencies in himself about four years ago after using methamphetamine.

He also claimed that Brower only decided he should kill Friesner and Russell when they set up shop at IHOP.

“They're eating when he starts having these hallucinations and thinking that these are bad guys that have done bad things and that I have to do something about it,” Loschi said. “It was almost an out-of-body experience. “He wasn't in his right mind.”

Like Brower, Friesner struggled with a meth addiction, his mother, Summer Friesner, said in court.

“He had to be sober to get home, so he called and said he wanted to come home and I told him to get clean,” she said.

His mother said she believes he is getting closer to that goal. She pointed out that shortly before his death he had messaged a former teacher to tell her he wanted to quit drugs and repair his relationship with his son.

In the picture, Justin can be seen hugging his mother Summer, who said her son “always put his needs aside for everyone else.”

The stabbing occurred shortly after Brower and the two other men had breakfast at IHOP

“He said, 'I'm almost 25. It's time to grow up,'” his mother recalled.

Summer said her son was selfless and would “do anything for anyone.”

“No matter how bad life was for him, he was always there to pick everyone else up.” “He always put his needs aside for everyone else,” she added.

Brower addressed the court during the hearing and apologized for his actions.

“I just want to apologize to everyone affected by my actions and know that I am here today and ready to accept any consequences,” he said.

After sentencing him to life in prison, O'Neill told Brower: “I would hate to think that your soul is so empty that this was completely, unconditionally premeditated, deliberate and ruthless.”