Man charged with murder in Idaho couple’s deaths reaches plea deal. Here’s the result
A Washington man charged in the shooting deaths of an Idaho couple who owned a New Meadows motel has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
John Cody Hart, 29, entered into a plea agreement for the killing of Rory Mehen, 47, and Sara Mehen, 45, in exchange for the state taking the death penalty off the table, according to a news release Friday from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors will recommend life in prison without the possibility of parole, the release said.
Hart was a guest at the Hartland Inn when he shot and killed the Mehens last October, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting. During an arraignment on May 19, Hart chose to “stand silent” in court, prompting District Judge Matthew Roker to enter a not guilty plea. Now that the plea deal is in place, he will be sentenced this fall, the release said.
Hart has a history of mental illness and was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which delayed his case while the state worked to restore his competency.
Hart was declared incompetent in a different case in Washington state and was supposed to be transferred to Western State Hospital near Tacoma, the Statesman previously reported, to receive treatment. That never happened because of a backlogged system, and Hart spent more than 18 weeks in jail before being released in July 2022.
