Idaho
Idaho judge enters not guilty plea for prisoner charged with killing a man when he escaped custody
LEWISTON, Idaho — An Idaho judge has entered a not guilty plea on behalf of an escaped prisoner charged with killing a man while he was on the lam for 36 hours.
Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty if Skylar Meade, 32, is convicted of the murder charge in connection with the shooting death of James Mauney. Meade was arraigned on the charge in Nez Perce County on Thursday. When 2nd District Judge Michelle Evans asked if he was ready to enter a plea, Meade’s defense attorney Anne Taylor said, “your honor, he intends to stand silent.”
Declining to enter a plea is a right that is protected by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and Idaho court rules state that when defendants exercise that right, a judge will enter a not guilty plea on their behalf.
Meade has already been sentenced to life in prison in a separate court case after pleading guilty to the March escape from a Boise hospital, where prison officials had taken him for treatment of self-inflicted injuries March 20.
Prosecutors say that as correctional officers prepared to take Meade back to the prison around 2 a.m. that day, an accomplice outside the hospital began shooting.
Two of the officers were shot by the accomplice, and a third was shot when a police officer mistook him for the shooter and opened fire, according to police. All three survived.
Meade and the other man then fled, investigators said, first driving several hours to north-central Idaho.
Mauney, an 83-year-old Juliaetta resident, didn’t return home from walking his dogs on a local trail later that morning, and his body was found miles away.
Police say that soon after, the two men headed back to southern Idaho. They were arrested in Twin Falls.
— Associated Press
Idaho
Idaho DOGE Task Force shares potential list of state programs, agencies to combine or eliminate
Idaho
Magic Valley students experience Idaho Supreme Court firsthand
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —Students from across the Magic Valley visited with the Idaho Supreme Court on Wednesday to observe the judicial process during an actual appeal hearing.
The visit was part of a state and constitutional mandate requiring the court to hear appeals in different parts of the state. The session also provided an educational opportunity for local high school students and teachers.
The Idaho Judicial Branch considers education a priority when conducting these regional sessions.
“We take education as a very serious goal here in the judicial branch. We believe it’s important for people to understand why we have a court system,” said Nate Poppino, Court Communications Manager for the Idaho Judicial Branch.
Students sat through the appeal hearing and had the opportunity to ask the justices questions afterward.
Ian Knudson, a senior at Castleford High School who is considering a career in law, said the experience helped him understand both the court system and citizens’ rights.
“I’ve always been curious what it’s like. Because I know it’s not like the shows, like the suits, I love that show. But I know it’s not the same, and I just was really curious how judges act, how they talk,” Knudson said.
Knudson said the experience reinforced the importance of understanding the legal system.
“It’s important to understand somewhere that you might have to end up in. Say you make a mistake, or you’re at the wrong place, wrong time, or you get a ticket. It’s important to understand your rights and the rights of other people,” he said.
The judicial branch encourages public attendance at court proceedings as part of its educational mission.
“You know, court, by and large, is open to the public and you could just go down to your local courthouse and sit in on a hearing and get a sense of how these things work,” Poppino said.
The courthouse visit strengthened Knudson’s interest in pursuing a legal career.
“I think I’d show a lot of sympathy for people. And that way I could be a lawyer and show sympathy for the person that I’m defending,” he said.
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Idaho
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