SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The defendant accused of killing a 59-year-old man with special needs in Scottsdale has been sentenced to prison.
John Merryman, 40, was sentenced last month to 23 years in an Arizona prison after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of Scott Harkness, court records show.
On Feb. 6, 2022, Harkness was fatally shot as he was walking home near Camelback and Hayden roads. A car matching Merryman's was seen in the area where the victim was shot. A shell casing found in the defendant's car had been fired from a handgun left behind at the crime scene, records show.
At the time of Merryman's arrest, police said there was no clear motive for why the defendant shot Harkness.
Harkness was a known member of the special needs community and competed as an athlete on the Scottsdale Special Olympics team.
Jim Curry, who worked with Harkness at Club SAR, told 12News in 2022 that the victim was known for his friendly smile and wonderful outlook on life.
"Who would do that to Scotty? The guy wouldn’t hurt a fly. He was the nicest kindest person to be around," Curry said in 2022. "And to hear how he passed - I keep thinking he must have been terrified."
*Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.*
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.