New Meadows motel murderer receives 30 year sentence, community heartbroken
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — The man who pled guilty to murdering Rory and Sara Mehen at their motel in New Meadows was sentenced in court on Monday.
The prosecutors in the case asked the judge to sentence John Cody Hart to a fixed life sentence for the murders, instead he sentenced him to 30 years fixed with life indeterminate. This means that Hart will be eligible for parole after 30 years.
Hart confessed to killing Sara and Rory after they confronted him for going through drawers in other guests rooms. He returned to his room, retrieved a handgun, and went to the front office of the motel when he shot Sara and Rory to death. Hart then fled the scene in his vehicle, but was tailed by an off-duty deputy until marked units could pull him over and arrest him.
The Adams County Prosecuting Attorney, Christopher Boyd, tells CBS2 that the families of the Mehens, as well as the community of New Meadows are heartbroken at the decision. The state agreed not to pursue the death penalty as part of a plea agreement with Hart, though they were ardently seeking life in prison.
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