On a tragic autumn day, Sara Mehen, a 45-year-old Caucasian woman, and her husband, Rory, were fatally shot at the Hartland Inn, the hotel they owned in New Meadows, Idaho. The events of October 1, 2022, unfolded after the couple reported the suspicious behavior of a guest to the Adams County Sheriff's Office. That guest was identified as 28-year-old John Cody Hart.
Earlier that day, the Mehens had called law enforcement around 11:40 a.m.
because Hart had been entering other guests' rooms. When a deputy arrived, Sara and Rory explained that Hart could remain at the hotel as long as he stayed out of other rooms. The deputy spoke with Hart and then departed for a higher-priority call around 12:20 p.m. Just 24 minutes later, a 911 call reported shots fired at the inn. In that short span of time, a confrontation over Hart's behavior had escalated with fatal consequences. Hart later told investigators that he had been searching for socks he believed belonged to his children and that the Mehens "snatched everything from his hands, making him feel like a thief." He said their actions made him angry and that he felt the couple was like "Bonnie and Clyde." After the initial confrontation and the deputy's departure, Hart returned to his room, retrieved a 9mm Glock handgun, went to the front counter, and shot both Sara and Rory.
Law enforcement arrived to find Sara and her husband deceased inside the main office. Investigators quickly identified Hart as the suspect, who had fled the scene in a blue Subaru. He was spotted a short time later by an off-duty officer and was arrested without incident. After his arrest, Hart admitted to the shootings and led investigators to where he had discarded the handgun.
The investigation revealed a troubled history for John Cody Hart. He had a violent criminal record in Washington state and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Months before the shooting, a judge had deemed Hart incompetent to stand trial for a previous assault and ordered him to a state psychiatric hospital. However, due to a backlog in the system, he was released from jail in July 2022 while awaiting a bed and was not supposed to leave the area. Initially, prosecutors in Adams County sought the death penalty against Hart for the murders, which they described as "especially heinous." Ultimately, Hart entered into a plea agreement, pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table. He was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.
