Man who killed Pullman student in 2017 heading to prison

A Latah County District Court judge on Wednesday reimposed the sentences against the man who shot and killed a Pullman High School senior in 2017 after he violated his probation in Boise late last year.

Keagan Tennant, now 22, was sentenced in March 2018 on charges of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, principal to destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence and principal to robbery.

Tennant shot and killed PHS senior Timothy Reeves in July 2017 during a camping trip east of Troy. He hid Reeves’ body and fled to Curlew, Wash., about 10 miles south of the Canadian border. Tennant, who was 17 at the time, also stole a car at gunpoint from a Pizza Hut delivery driver before being arrested in northeastern Washington.

He was sentenced to concurrent sentences with a chance for parole after five fixed years.

Those sentences were suspended when he was placed on probation in December 2020. He has been incarcerated just less than four years so far. On Wednesday, Judge John Judge reimposed those sentences.

Prosecutor Bill Thompson said Tennant could have a chance at parole after he completes the five years in prison, which includes an Ada County sentence for his arrest in November.

He also could face significant prison time of up to 30 years for his charges.

Tennant was arrested in late November in Boise for violating his probation and was found with marijuana and an illegally possessed firearm, according to the police report.

Tennant on Wednesday admitted to absconding probation supervision and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Tennant told Judge that while living in Boise this year, he lost his job as a cook and later lost his house. Tennant said he has been struggling with depression and was in a “very dark spot in my life” at the time of his arrest. His attorney, Deborah McCormick, said Tennant has been struggling to forgive himself for his crime.

She said Tennant has been reconnecting with his biological mother and sister since then.

Judge said he was troubled by this most recent arrest after Tennant initially showed promise with how well he was complying with his initial sentence.

“It made me doubt your integrity,” he said of Tennant’s probation violation.

Judge in 2019 placed Tennant in a halfway-house program, or “community residential setting,” in Boise during his rehabilitation.

Judge said treatment programs will be available to Tennant in prison.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.