Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
IDAHO FALLS — Bonneville County prosector Randy Neal stood in a courtroom Monday afternoon repeating the word "bang" 17 times – the same amount of times that Mark Bent shot Nik Bird.
District Judge Michael Whyte then sentenced Bent, 43, to a minimum of 45 years and a maximum of life in prison for Bird's death.
After a weeklong jury trial in December, Bent was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Bird and a felony enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
Bent shot Bird in the street in front of his home on Saturn Avenue on Sept. 3. He then admitted on Facebook to planning the killing months in advance.
Bent's defense stated that Bird and others bullied him in a local car group. Bird's family said Monday during the sentencing hearing that there is no evidence Bird ever bullied Bent on social media.
Sentencing
Bird's parents gave emotional impact statements during the sentencing hearing, depicting Bird as a young and much-loved man who had his life taken much too soon.
Bird's mother, Tara Withers, said that Bird was the most "kind, loyal, loving boy" many had ever known.
"Nikolas loved with every fiber of his being," said Withers. "You knew you were loved when you were loved by Nik Bird."
She continued saying that she struggles thinking Bent will continue living his life when Bird's was taken away.
"Mark took any future Nik would've ever had. He will never know what it's like to be married or to buy his first home," said Withers. "Mark took this away in the most brutal way possible. Mark laid in wait for over an hour to kill Nikolas."
Bird's father, Todd Bird, spoke to the court about his grief, stating that he will miss Nik's laughter, smile, and love.
"Each day is a relentless reminder of what we've lost. Nik's laughter, his infectious smile, and the warmth of his presence," said Bird. "And now, I find myself navigating life in a work that feels dark. Daily life is overshadowed by his absence. The joy that was once in our lives has been replaced by all-consuming sadness and longing for my son."
Bent's defense attorney, Serhiy Stavynskyy, argued his client has struggled with mental health throughout his life, and those issues were aggravated when he moved to Idaho alone.
"(Bent) has a lengthy history of mental health issues, going back to his childhood," said Stavynskyy. "And unfortunately, they were not addressed properly, a combination with substance abuse, and I think that was a big factor to what had happened. I think if he'd gotten proper mental health treatment when he was still young, we wouldn't be here today."
Stavynskyy also reminded the court that Bent turned himself into police shortly after the shooting and confessed to the murder.
"Looking at the case, I think looking at the psychological issues, he can be rehabilitated with the proper treatment. Eventually, he'll be able to go back into society," said Stavynskyy. "To accomplish all the sentencing criteria in the case, he needs to be able to move forward to the time when he has a decent chance."
Neal then argued that Bent needs to serve as long of a sentence as possible, saying that he is not a person who can be trusted in any community, and noting multiple instances before Bird's murder in which Bent had issues with coworkers, employers and others, often costing him job opportunities.
"Mr. Bent is a ticking time bomb," said Neal. "This is a severe crime, not just because this is a murder, a first-degree murder, but because this victim was stalked like prey. We watched a video where he drove for several minutes from Pocatello to Idaho Falls, according to his own words, intending to find Nik and confront him."
Reminding the court that Bent shot Bird 17 times, Neal reiterated how long that action would've taken and how Bent could've decided against it at any moment.
"Anybody with any humanity has difficulty going that long pulling the trigger. And most of those shots, as testified by the medical examiner, while he lay on his side on the ground, helpless and certainly no threat at all," said Neal. "What happens next time he thinks that somebody has done something that permanently alters his reputation?"
Neal also mentioned that Bent had taken several anger management courses during his time in jail and received "needs improvement" grades on most of them.
Bent then spoke to the court through tears, apologizing for his actions and stating he wished he hadn't killed Bird.
"I'm very sorry for what I have done. I would do anything to take it all back, but I can't change the past. All I can do is use this experience and try to use the experience to help others to try and prevent similar incidents," said Bent. "I pray for Nik's friends and family every day, and I hope that they can forgive me."
Before pronouncing the sentence, Whyte explained to Bent that he wishes the hearing wasn't happening at all, but because of his actions, he has to suffer the consequences.
"You had stewed in anger," said Whyte. "You drove around Idaho Falls going to locations where there were car clubs, looking for Mr. Bird, and located his vehicle near his home. And you waited."
Whyte also explained that he believes social media played a large part in this case, only serving to aggravate both sides and leading to Bent deciding to murder Bird.
"You thought these people were speaking ill of you, and you thought they were identifying you as an undercover police officer or a 'narc' for the police. You couldn't just slough that off and let that go, and continued to engage Nik Bird in social media dialogue," said Whyte. "If anybody wants to do a case study on the problems with social media today, this would be one of them."
