Teen Admits To Assisting Elder Roommate In Suicide, Watching Him Shoot Self

A 19-year-old man who admitted to watching his roommate take his own life in an Idaho public park last week will face new charges over the incident, officials announced Tuesday.

Dakota Honeycutt, of Nampa, will be charged with homicide in connection to the death of 48-year-old Kevin Hunt, NewsChannel7 reported, citing prosecutors.

Honeycutt, who was initially charged with felony counts of assisting a suicide and destruction of evidence, told police he drove Hunt to Hunter's Creek Sports Park in Star, Idaho, and watched his roommate shoot himself Saturday night.

It was not clear why Honeycutt, who is originally from Tennessee, and Hunt were at Hunter's Creek Park, investigators said. Neither of the two men appeared to have any ties to Star.

Following Hunt's alleged suicide, Honeycutt left the body on the sidewalk, took the gun and disposed of the weapon before he returned to their apartment. Hunt was later found by a passerby Sunday morning.

While no one else was around at the park at the time of the death, investigators learned that Honeycutt drove Hunt's car, which resulted in the 19-year-old being interviewed by authorities and explaining the situation.

Honeycutt was arrested Sunday on his two felony charges and was booked into the Canyon County Jail Monday morning.

A dive team was brought in at the Star bridge to retrieve the gun after Honeycutt told police the weapon was disposed of there, a report by CBS 2 said.

However, investigators later learned that Honeycutt was not telling authorities the truth about what happened, prosecutor Heather Reilly said Tuesday.

Honeycutt's new charge will be upgraded via an amending indictment, according to Reilly.

Additional charges are possible. Prosecutors did not provide a motive for the possible shooting.

Honeycutt appeared in court via a video stream and told Judge Michael Lojek he was "really, really scared" when asked if he wanted to tell the judge anything about his mental or emotional state.

Reilly asked for Honeycutt's bond to be raised from $25,000 to $500,000, but Lojek set it at $50,000, saying it could be taken back up at a later date after the new charge is filed.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Jan. 10.

Star Mayor Trevor Chadwick, who reportedly noted that violent crime was a rarity in his city, asked residents to join him in praying for Hunt's family.

"We continue to work to provide a safe environment for our citizens," Chadwick said in a statement. "Star is and will remain a safe community for people to live in and raise their families thanks to the tireless efforts of our police force. Statistics provided by the Sheriff’s Office show that crime rates in Star are not increasing in proportion to the exponential population growth."

In accordance with Idaho law, a person can be found guilty of felony assisting suicide if they knowingly provided the physical means or participated in a physical act by which another person ends his or her life.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.