He ran down an Idaho couple on a sidewalk. Now, he’s sentenced to at least 25 years in prison
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Matthew Parkinson’s age. He was 22 years old at the time of his death.
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The Fruitland man who intentionally struck and killed a young couple walking down the sidewalk more than two years ago will serve 25 years to life in prison after being sentenced Monday.
Payette County District Judge Susan Wiebe sentenced Jason Verwer after he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in September. He was ordered to serve 25 years to life in prison on each charge, with the sentences to run concurrently.
It’s been more than two years since the incident that killed Matthew and Amelia Parkinson. Verwer ran over the couple on a Fruitland sidewalk as they walked hand-in-hand on Jan. 24, 2018.
Matthew Parkinson, 22, and Amelia Parkinson, 17, had just married at the Payette County courthouse in December 2017. The newlyweds died at the scene of the crash.
Prosecutors said at an earlier hearing that Verwer intentionally struck the Parkinsons on a sidewalk along U.S. 95 in Fruitland, south of the intersection with NW 3rd Street, knocking them in the air and dragging them into the parking lot of Keithly-Williams Seeds.
According to previous reports, Verwer drove right at the couple in his 1983 Chevrolet Celebrity, and an Idaho State Police crash reconstructionist determined from video that Verwer accelerated to about 62 miles per hour before hitting them. There was no evidence of braking.
The motive for the killing is unclear, but after Verwer hit the couple, he got out of his vehicle and bowed, according to a witness.
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 7:02 PM.
