LEWISTON, ID – Prosecutors are negotiating a plea deal with Skylar Meade, who is accused of killing two men after his 2024 escape from an Idaho prison, according to documents filed in Nez Perce County Court.

The filing states that Meade, who faces charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of 83-year-old James L. Mauney of Juliaetta and 72-year-old Gerald “Don” Henderson of Orofino, will remain charged with murder and held without bond. The terms of the plea agreement being considered have not yet been made public.

A change of plea hearing is to be held at a future date, according to court documents.

The charges stem from a series of events that began in the early morning hours of March 20, 2024, when Meade escaped from Idaho Department of Correction custody in Boise. Investigators say he was assisted by Nicholas Umphenour.

After the escape, authorities believe Meade and Umphenour stole a Honda Civic and drove north through Idaho. They allegedly encountered Mauney as he was walking his dogs near Juliaetta. Mauney and his dogs were taken, and he was later found dead in rural Nez Perce County. His vehicle, a silver 2019 Chrysler Pacifica, was also missing.

That same day, Idaho State Police and the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office investigated the killing of Henderson at his home outside Orofino. Investigators located Mauney’s dogs and a pair of shackles believed to have been left by Meade at the scene.

Both Meade and Umphenour were arrested the following day in the Twin Falls area.

Meade was indicted on June 11, 2024, for Mauney’s murder, and prosecutors later connected him to Henderson’s death as well.