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Thread: John Cody Hart Sentenced to Life With the Possibility of Parole in 2022 ID Murders of Rory Mehen and Sara Mehen

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    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    John Cody Hart Sentenced to Life With the Possibility of Parole in 2022 ID Murders of Rory Mehen and Sara Mehen





    Documents show possible motive of New Meadows suspect, prosecutor seeks death penalty

    An affidavit says that the double-murder suspect, John Cody Hart, told a detective that he was upset the couple "thought he was a thief."

    Author: Alexandra Duggan, Morgan Romero

    Court records are providing more clarity on what could have happened before 47-year-old Rory Mehen and 45-year-old Sara Mehen were shot and killed at the Hartland Inn in New Meadows on Oct. 1 -- and prosecutors have filed to seek the death penalty.

    John Cody Hart was identified as the suspect who allegedly shot and killed the couple, after he was found not competent to stand trial for assault charges in Washington. Hart was awaiting admittance to Western State Hospital, Washington's psychiatric hospital, if and when a bed opened up.

    On that Saturday, around 12:45 p.m., police responded to reports of an active shooter -- they rushed in to the hotel to find the couple, who owned the hotel, dead in the main office.

    According to an affidavit, Hart told Washington County detective Jordan Doggett that he had gone through drawers in rooms inside the inn, looking for socks that he thought belonged to his children. At that time, a man and a woman asserted to him that he could not be going through other residents' rooms.

    "John told us they then snatched everything from his hands, making him feel like a thief. They then called the cops," the affidavit said. "John stated that this made him angry, that it caused him pain, and that he felt the couple were like Bonnie and Clyde."

    The affidavit says call records show a deputy was called to the inn where he spoke with Hart and cleared the hotel at 12:20 p.m. The 911 call of shots fired came in 24 minutes later, at 12:45 p.m.

    Before the shots rang out, the affidavit says Hart went back to this room after the socks were taken from him and "prepared for the worst."

    "He then heard Pope Gregory and John Paul say, 'are you going to let Bonnie and Clyde do that to our family,'" the affidavit says. "John told me that he didn't spite those people, and that they still have life in their soul, not in their flesh."

    The document says that Hart then told detectives he went to the front counter and shot the man and woman.

    The affidavit said there is probable cause to believe that Hart murdered the two in the first-degree -- "these actions took ample time," the document said.

    The prosecuting attorney for Adams County filed to seek the death penalty in this case, where they said "the murder was especially heinous," that Hart "exhibited utter disregard for human life," and that Hart could "probably constitute a continuing threat to society."

    Hart is being held without bail until his next hearing. A status conference is set for Oct. 17.

    Hart's case in Washington

    KTVB filed a public records request with the superior court in Clark County, Washington, where Hart was charged with felony assault in August of 2021, to obtain a recording of the hearing in which a judge let Hart out of jail.

    An evaluation found Hart wasn't competent to stand trial for his assault charges. Judge Robert Lewis entered a competency restoration order for a 90-day restoration at Western State Hospital, the state psychiatric hospital, on March 17,

    Hart was waiting in jail until a bed opened up; 127 days after the judge's order, he still sat in jail.

    Hart, his attorney and the prosecution appeared in front of Judge Lewis via video conference in the July 22, 2022 review hearing on Hart's competency.

    In this hearing, the defense asked Hart be let out because he was assaulted in jail and was waiting too long to get transported to Western State Hospital.

    The lead prosecutor tried for months to get Hart into the hospital, but told KTVB this week that a bed wasn't open.

    In this July hearing, another prosecutor told the judge they expected Hart to be transported just days after this hearing, on Aug. 1. They asked the judge to push this matter back until then to see if Hart did in fact get admitted.

    The judge, however, sided with the defense.

    "The court has reviewed this matter extensively at request of the defense and given the state ample opportunity both from local representatives and from the State of Washington to provide an explanation as to why - despite repeated dates when they indicated he would be transported - Mr. Hart has not been transported for competency restoration," Judge Lewis said. "His motion to dismiss is denied. His motion to release is granted. He'll be released on supervised release."

    "I do this with some reluctance as the charges against Mr. Hart are very serious," the judge told Hart, his defense and the prosecution, "He's charged with a Class-A felony: assault in the first degree. Apparently, however, the seriousness of his charges is not sufficient for the state to place a priority upon his competency restoration. I simply can't continue to hold him on the expectation that maybe someday they'll come pick him up."

    https://www.ktvb.com/amp/article/new...5-e132f3c3da2d
    Last edited by Bobsicles; 10-05-2022 at 09:33 PM.
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    Trial date set for man who may face death penalty, charged in Idaho motel killings

    By Alex Brizee
    Idaho Statesman


    The Washington man accused of killing a couple who owned a motel near McCall now has a jury trial scheduled for next year.

    John Cody Hart has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of 45-year-old Sara Mehen and 47-year-old Rory Mehen, who owned the Hartland Inn in New Meadows and were fatally shot in October. Hart was there as a guest when he shot and killed the Mehens, according to an affidavit previously obtained by the Idaho Statesman.

    The 28-year-old chose to “stand silent” during his May 19 arraignment, prompting 3rd District Judge Matthew Roker to enter not guilty pleas on his behalf. Idaho’s 3rd Judicial District contains six Idaho counties, including Adams, where the crime occurred.

    Hart’s jury trial is expected to begin on June 10, 2024, and could last eight weeks, according to court minutes from the arraignment.

    Typically criminal trials are set six months after a defendant enters a plea, but Hart waived his right to a speedy trial, which will allow his defense team additional time to prepare.

    Hart’s criminal case was on hold for several months after he was found incompetent to assist in his defense and stand trial, and had to have his competency restored. According to more than 100 pages of court records obtained by the Statesman, Hart has a history of mental health issues and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

    A former veteran, Hart began experiencing “auditory hallucinations” in 2015 after his wife died in a car crash. He was previously declared incompetent in a separate case in Washington and was supposed to be transferred to Western State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital outside of Tacoma, to receive treatment, but that never happened.

    Instead, because of a backlogged system, Hart spent over 18 weeks in jail before being released in July 2022. Hart was expected to be admitted to a hospital in August and receive treatment for 90 days. Had Hart been transferred to Western State Hospital, he could have remained in treatment in October, when the fatal shootings occurred.

    Trials for Idaho death penalty cases may overlap

    Adams County Prosecutor Christopher Boyd previously announced his intent to seek the death penalty against Hart, writing in an October note of intent that the killings were “especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity.”

    One of Hart’s court-appointed attorneys, Elisa Massoth, is also representing Bryan Kohberger, the 28-year-old former graduate student accused of killing four University of Idaho students. Massoth is one of 30 Idaho lawyers who are eligible to defend capital cases when the defendant can’t afford an attorney. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson hasn’t announced whether his office will seek the death penalty against Kohberger.

    In addition, Eastern Idaho prosecutors are pursuing capital punishment for Chad Daybell. The 54-year-old Rexburg father is accused of several felonies, including first-degree murder in the deaths of his former wife and two of his current wife’s children. A date hasn’t been set for Daybell’s jury trial, but it’s expected to be scheduled around June 2024.

    Hart’s next hearing is at 11:30 a.m. July 21 at the Adams County Courthouse in Council, Idaho.

    https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/tri...100000448.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
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    New Meadows murder suspect pleads guilty

    John Cody Hart pleaded guilty as part of an agreement. As a result, prosecutors have withdrawn the decision to seek the death penalty

    By KTVB News Staff

    NEW MEADOWS, Idaho — The man accused of murdering a couple at their hotel in New Meadows in October of 2022 has pleaded guilty as part of an agreement, the Adams County prosecutor said Friday.

    John Cody Hart, 29, was charged last year with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of Rory and Sara Mehen, the owners of the Harland Inn.

    As a result of pleading guilty to the charges, prosecutors have decided to withdraw their intent to seek the death penalty against Hart, which they filed on Oct. 4, 2022.

    They will now recommend life in prison without parole instead.

    Hart's sentencing is set for the fall.

    According to an affidavit from the Adams County Sheriff's Office, Hart was rummaging through rooms at the Hartland Inn, where he was also staying that day. He was stealing socks when he was told to leave by a police officer.

    Hart went back to his room, the affidavit says, and then to the front counter where he is said to have shot the Mehens.

    Court documents show Hart drove to Idaho while on probation in Washington state, where he is accused of violent assault charges. Those documents also show he was schizophrenic and deemed mentally unfit to stand trial for that assault case.

    A Washington judge let him out of jail in July, which was three months before the shooting, while he waited for a bed to open up in Washington's psychiatric hospital.

    Sara Mehen's cousin Lance Evers said he supports the plea deal.

    "[Hart will] be able to spend the rest of his life in prison, as opposed to having it having his life ended and not being punished," Evers said.

    Evers said he misses his cousin immensely and that healing as not begun. He called Rory Sara's "knight in shining armor."

    "Sara made you feel like you're part of the cool kids with just love and understanding and welcome. And that's the same with Rory; he would do the same," Evers said. "[Sara] and Rory together was a force to be reckoned with."

    The New Meadows community was also devestated by the murder of the couple.

    "If I could tell Rory and Sara anything, it's just how much they'll be missed by everybody. They were the community," Matt Whitlock, a friend of the Mehens said. "We're at a loss now."

    Rory and Sara were known for their love of life, the outdoors and a passion for the community they lived in; one that lit a spark in anyone who came in contact with them.

    The Adams County Sheriff's Office said in a press release on Friday they "would like to thank the Mehen family and our devoted community for their patience and understanding. To Idaho State police, USFS LEO, Ada, Canyon and Washington County Sheriff’s Offices, this was a joint effort and all agencies assistance have been greatly appreciated."

    https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/lo...4-4ceb23a68962
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #4
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    Sentenced to life with the possibility of parole on 09/30/2052

    https://www.idoc.idaho.gov/content/p...details/148912
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

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