Idaho man was charged with assisted suicide but it may be changed to homicide.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Idaho media reported that Dakota Travis Honeycutt (19) of Nampa Idaho was charged with assisted suicide, but is likely to be charged with homicide in the death of Kevin Hunt (48) who had been his room mate.

According to KTBV 7 news, Honeycutt was arrested after a body was found in Hunter’s Creek Sports Park. Honeycutt told police that he watched the Hunt shoot himself, but did not harm him. KTBV 7 reported:

In an interview Sunday night, Honeycutt told detectives that he drove the victim to Hunter’s Creek Park on Saturday night, and watched him shoot himself at around 9 p.m, according to the sheriff's office. Honeycutt said he left the body on the sidewalk, took the gun, and disposed of it before heading back to their apartment.

Ada County Sherrifs office provided an update on the case on December 28 stating:

An Ada County prosecutor said in court Tuesday she expects to charge at 19-year-old Middleton man with a homicide for his role in the shooting death of a 48-year-old man at Hunter’s Creek Sports Complex in Star Saturday night.

Dakota Travis Honeycutt initially told investigators he watched roommate Kevin Hunt complete suicide at the park on Christmas night with a shotgun — and then left Hunt at the park and drove away without telling anyone what happened.

Honeycutt was arrested and charged with felony counts of assisting in a suicide and destruction of evidence while detectives continued to work on the case.

Detectives continued to collect evidence, which included interviewing Honeycutt.

Deputy Ada County Prosecutor Heather Reilly told a judge during Honeycutt’s arraignment on Tuesday that additional evidence collected since Monday indicates what Honeycutt initially told detectives wasn’t accurate and that her office will be charging him with a homicide.

Under Idaho law, a homicide would be charged under the murder or manslaughter statutes. Prosecutors did not say which charge they are considering.

The Ada County Sheriff’s Dive Team found the shotgun in the river Monday morning.

The Ada County Sheriff's office has not disclosed the information that led them to conclude that the death was a homicide rather than assisting a suicide. Honeycutt claimed that he didn't cause the death of Hunt, but his confession led police to prosecuting him for assisted suicide. As stated by the Sheriff's office, further evidence indicates that it wasn't an assisted suicide but rather a homicide.