Melba man gets life in prison for killing hitchhiker

Posted by Almeda Bohannan on Monday, May 6, 2024

A Melba man has been sentenced to life in prison after he killed a hitchhiker in 2017.

According to Idaho court records, Nicholas Vandenberge received the life sentence on Tuesday. In addition to the first-degree murder, he pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy.

Authorities found the body of Hunter Allyn Smith in October 2017 from a gunshot wound. Montanna Reed of Twin Falls, and Willie Rabey of Mountain Home, have been charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Vandenberge will have to serve a minimum of 30 years before he's eligible for parole.

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