FARGO — A man convicted by a Cass County jury earlier this year of murder in a “revenge shooting” for the death of his childhood friend will spend the rest of his life in prison, a judge ruled during a sentencing hearing Monday, June 29.
Prosecutors argued that Leo Darto, 36, should be sentenced to life without parole for killing Sampson Blech, 35, in a south Fargo apartment nearly two years ago in a sentencing memorandum pending the hearing.
“The defendant’s act of violence in this case was intentional and senseless. Defendant intentionally shot and killed Sampson Blech and left him to die,” Cass County Assistant Prosecutor Renata Seltzer wrote.
Blech was killed Aug. 23, 2024, in an apartment he often stayed in, the Maplewood Bend Apartments in the 2200 block of 12th Avenue South in Fargo. Several eyewitnesses testified that Blais warned others in the squad that Darto might come to the apartment. They also revealed that Darto was the shooter. Prosecutors described Darto’s statements and actions before and after the shooting in court documents.
Assistant Cass County State’s Attorney Renata Seltzer speaks with a witness called to read a victim impact statement before Leo Darto’s sentencing Monday, June 29, 2026, in Cass County Court in Fargo.
Alyssa Geltzer / Forum
“Witnesses at trial testified that the defendant told them he was going to kill Mr. Blais. The defendant carried out these threats. He went to the apartment and shot Mr. Blais at the first opportunity,” Seltzer wrote. “Only two minutes and seven seconds elapsed between the Defendant entering the building and leaving it. This short period of time further illustrates that the Defendant was on assignment.”
At his trial in February, jurors took less than an hour to find Darto guilty.
Speaking in court Monday afternoon, Seltzer said the case “demonstrates the problem of gun violence both in our community and across the country: When people use firearms to resolve disputes and seek revenge, too often these cases end in tragedy.”
Melvina Gbarza, the mother of Blais’ youngest son, gave a victim impact statement during the hearing, calling the shooting a “senseless act” and lamenting that her son, whom she held in her lap during her sworn statement, will grow up without a father.
Melvina Gbarza takes the oath of office while holding her son before giving victim testimony at Leo Darto’s sentencing Monday, June 29, 2026, in Cass County Court in Fargo.
Alyssa Geltzer / Forum
Blais sister, Marina Dean, also spoke about Blais taking on this very responsibility and becoming a father figure to his eight younger siblings after their father died: “But he never considered it a burden. He did it with love and grace.”
She said Blais “wasn’t just a brother—he was my protector and my helper.”
“He held no grudges and believed in loyalty and friendship,” Dean said in a statement on behalf of the family. “It makes the betrayal of someone he called a childhood friend even more painful and adds another layer of grief that we struggle with every single day. The pain is constant.”
Leo Darto speaks with his attorney Justin Balser in Cass County Court after his sentencing Monday, June 29, 2026, in Fargo.
Alyssa Geltzer / Forum
Darto’s lawyer, Justin Balser, agreed that Blais death was a tragedy, but asked the court to consider a life sentence with the possibility of parole. Darto declined to speak at the hearing.
Judge Connie Cleveland prefaced her decision with a statement expressing her belief that “people are complex and everyone has value and purpose in life. I hope people have the opportunity to be friends, to have a positive impact on another person’s life, to contribute and benefit society in some way.”
But, she continued, sentencing factors weighed heavily on Darto. She said his refusal to participate in most pre-sentence interviews left a void in which there might have been any signs of that positive contribution to society, including attempts at employment or education, or signs of hope for rehabilitation.
Instead, she said, the pre-sentence report was “replete” with indications of Dartow’s early involvement in criminal activity, numerous convictions and his negative record of legal behavior. She said he appeared to show no remorse or self-reflection over his actions.
Judge Connie Cleveland speaks with Leo Darto and his attorney during Darto’s sentencing Monday, June 29, 2026, in Cass County Court in Fargo.
Alyssa Geltzer / Forum
“It’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy for you, Mr. Darto. It’s a tragedy for Mr. Blais, for his family, for his friends, for those people who were present… who also thought they were going to be killed that day… and for the emergency personnel who had to respond, we watched as Mr. Blais died (in body camera footage of the arriving medic shown during the trial),” she said.
But most importantly, Cleveland said, “This is a tragedy for our community.”
“Everyone has the opportunity to decide whether to be a positive or negative force, to benefit society or to be hostile to it, and whatever choice you choose will have a ripple effect,” she continued. “We are not just individuals traveling through time. Everything we do, positive or negative, affects everyone around us. And unfortunately, Mr. Darto, this community has suffered, and people and friends that you knew have suffered, and Mr. Blais has died.”
Cleveland ruled that prosecutors’ recommendation of life without parole was not only “fully supported” but required by sentencing factors.
Darto has 30 days to appeal the verdict.