Nicholas Umphenour joins Skylar Meade in prison for the rest of his life. The judge sentenced him to life in prison for each of two murders today. He entered an Alford plea, which is a guilty plea while maintaining innocence.
The people he admitted to being a part of killing are James Mauney of Juliaetta and Gerald Henderson of Orofino.
As part of the deal, there will be no jury trial and he waives any rights to appeal the conviction. When the judge asked if his decision to take the plea had been influence, he said “They told me if I didn’t take it, they’d friggin’ killl me.”
He was talking about the Prosecution’s intent to seek the death penalty if it went to trial.
The murders were in March 2024 after he helped Skylar Meade escape from prison, while being held at a Boise hospital.
Afterward, Nez Perce County Prosecutor Justin Coleman remarked that it’s an acceptable outcome.
“I do think that the goal here was to make sure that he winds up dying in prison, and I think we’ve accomplished that, at least…Overall, yeah, I think it’s a step in the right direction for justice.“
The Mauney family wasn’t there, but offered a written statement that said, in part, “There is no forgiveness for you. You are evil.”
A representative of the Henderson family read a statement before sentencing. “You may not have pulled the trigger, but we hold you responsible.”
During the hearing, Umphenour did remark “I don’t deny responsibility…I know if it weren’t for me, it wouldn’t have been possible…I’m sorry for it. 100%”
Skylar Meade was sentenced in January and also received life without parole or appeal for each of the two murders.
