Man at center of hospital ambush charged with murder in Idaho killings — again
One of the men at the center of a hospital ambush in Boise that turned into a statewide manhunt that left two people dead is now facing another murder charge.
Skylar Meade, 33, is now charged with two felony first-degree murder charges, in the deaths of James Mauney and Gerald “Don” Henderson, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Idaho Statesman. This latest development in the Henderson case comes more than a year after the men were killed in North Idaho.
Both Meade and his co-conspirator, Nicholas Umphenour, 30, were indicted in the 83-year-old Mauney’s death in June 2024, but weren’t charged in Henderson’s death. Umphenour still hasn’t been charged with a second murder count, according to Nez Perce County Prosecutor Justin Coleman.
“Nothing else has changed with the case other than joining the additional charge,” he wrote in a statement. “The parties continue to communicate overall.”
Prosecutors have said intend to seek the death penalty against Meade and Umphenour if they’re convicted.
Within 36 hours of their escape from Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Meade and Umphenour were apprehended by law enforcement, who announced they were suspects in the men’s killings. The pair traveled nearly 1,000 miles, making an almost complete circle around the state, before they were arrested in Twin Falls — two hours from where they initially fled from police.
Mauney was last seen in Juliaetta, north of Lewiston, while he was walking his dogs, according to Idaho State Police. His body was later found in a desolate area. That same day, deputies from neighboring Clearwater County found the body of Henderson, 72, in his cabin outside of Orofino. Police said shackles that belonged to Meade, along with Mauney’s dogs, were found in the cabin.
Both men were shot in the head, according to court filings.
While the felony charge for Henderson’s death was filed in Clearwater County, the case was transferred to Nez Perce County and the two charges were joined under one case, court records showed. Meade appeared before 2nd District Judge Michelle Evans last week, where she entered not guilty pleas on both counts on his behalf.
His next hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Nov. 6, according to online court records.
