BOISE, Idaho — 20-year-old Dakota Travis Honeycutt of Nampa may spend the next 35 years in prison for the murder of his roommate who was found shot to death in a Star park on Dec. 26, 2021.
According to the Ada County Sheriff's Office, Honeycutt was sentenced on Monday in the death of 48-year-old Kevin Hunt. Honeycutt is eligible to ask for parole after serving 15 years.
Hunt's body was discovered at the Hunter's Creek Sports Complex the day after Christmas. Police quickly turned their attention to Honeycutt, who had been staying with Hunt at his Nampa apartment.
Honeycutt pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this year in an agreement with Ada County prosecutors after he was originally charged with first-degree murder.
Honeycutt told investigators he had driven his roommate to the park, and watched as Hunt committed suicide on Christmas Day 2021, according to prosecutors. He then told detectives he grabbed the shotgun and left in Hunt's car, without telling anyone what happened.
According to Tuesday's news release, Honeycutt said he threw the gun in the Boise River after the shooting. The shotgun was found in the river on Dec. 27, 2021, by the Ada County Sheriff's Dive Team.
Hunt's body was found by a citizen on a sidewalk at the park in Star on Dec. 26, 2021. Honeycutt was arrested after law enforcement interviewed him on the same day the body was found.
The sheriff's office said it "remains unclear" why Honeycutt and Hunt were at Hunter's Creek Park, and it appears they did not have any ties to Star.
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