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 Hartland 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 devastated 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."
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