- Alan Bruce, 70, is charged with first-degree murder of Patrick Shelton in Idaho.
- Bruce allegedly killed, dismembered and burned Shelton's body, claiming self-defense.
- Court testimonies reveal Bruce's confession and evidence of a longstanding dispute.
CHALLIS, Idaho — A 70-year-old man appeared in court Monday for a preliminary hearing, where the court learned more about the alleged brutal killing and dismemberment of a missing Custer County man.
Alan Bruce is charged with the first-degree murder of 47-year-old Patrick Shelton, as well as other felony charges for destruction of evidence, failure to notify of a death, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and an enhancement for being a persistent violator.
Bruce appeared for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge James Howard Barrett with his defense attorneys, Jim Archibald and John Thomas.
The hearing
During the hearing, multiple law enforcement officials testified for the state, describing the investigation into Shelton's whereabouts and claiming that Bruce admitted to murdering him before dismembering his body, burning the remains, and throwing them into the Salmon River.
The first witness, Ethan Kelly, a Custer County Sheriff's deputy, described coming into contact with Bruce during the search for Shelton.
"I initially went to speak with Alan Bruce at his property, because he was the last person to have been with him," said Kelly. "It was a pretty brief conversation. I asked Alan if he knew anything about it, which he said he knew (that) no one had been able to find him, but he did not really say anything further."
Bruce reportedly told the deputy that he and Shelton would go to the Bayhorse area in Custer County to retrieve firewood.
Deputies later discovered that the last time Shelton's phone was pinged, he was reportedly on Bruce's property. The deputy asked Bruce to come to the Sheriff's Office for an interview, but he did not have a ride, so the deputy picked him up and brought him to the sheriff's office.
After the interview, Kelley says he brought Bruce back to his home, where a search warrant was being served on his property.
Sgt. Josh Tuttle with the Idaho State Police then testified that Bruce reportedly admitted to killing Shelton after they showed him where cadaver dogs had alerted on his property.
"I asked him to basically tell me, man to man, what happened," said Tuttle. "Then we kind of walked him around and showed him some of the items that we located on the property. And then he started to confess."
According to Tuttle, Bruce explained that he had been arguing with Shelton for several months over a boat trailer and a generator.
"On top of that, Mr. Shelton had been stealing items from Mr. Bruce," said Tuttle. "Mr. Shelton moved away and left his items on Mr. Bruce's property. At one point, Mr. Bruce decided to take those items off his property that consisted of an RV, so he pushed the RV with a bulldozer to the county road…and in the process of that, it damaged the grill of the RV."
Bruce claimed Shelton threatened him over text, then returned to retrieve his property, side-swiping his truck.
"Mr. Shelton came into the property and struck Mr. Bruce's pickup," said Tuttle. "Then Mr. Bruce got in his orange Ford truck and left the area. He said he went to a friend's house and retrieved a firearm."
Bruce claims he then went back to his property and shot Shelton with an AR rifle before dismembering his body with a chainsaw and burning the remains and chainsaw in a burn barrel, before throwing it into the Salmon River near Deer Gulch in Lemhi County.
Related:
'Shoot, shovel and shut up.' Police records detail horrific alleged killing of missing Idaho man
Alan Douglas Bruce, 70, is charged with the murder of Patrick Shelton, 47."He said that he did not (call police)," said Tuttle. "(He said) You shoot, shovel, and shut up."
He reportedly told officers that he cleaned the truck and the crime scene with bleach and a Shop-Vac.
Tuttle then said another officer had given Bruce his Miranda Rights, and he had been arrested. Defense attorneys questioned all witnesses whether the Miranda Rights were given before or after Bruce's alleged confession, but the answer was not clear.
Tuttle also testified that he saw Shelton's truck after it had been booked into evidence.
"When I was looking in the pickup, I observed what could be brain matter on the rearview mirror," said Tuttle. "And there was a jacket from a bullet on the passenger side window sill."
Detective Travis Roberts with the Idaho State Police then testified that Bruce told him that Shelton had tried to grab his gun before he was shot, and claimed the alleged murder was in self-defense.
Roberts says Bruce then asked him if he wanted to see a picture of Patrick that he took after he shot him, and then showed him a photo of what officers believe to be Shelton's body, slumped over the middle console of a truck. There is also reportedly a silver handgun near the body.
"It appeared to me when I saw the photo initially off of Mr. Bruce's phone that the gun was in slide lock," said Roberts. "In order for that gun to be utilized, you have to stick a magazine in it with rounds and then release the slide so it goes forward."
The last witness was Custer County Sheriff Levi Maydole, who testified that Bruce sent an eight-page letter to a friend from the Custer County Jail on Friday, June 27, admitting to the murder, but claiming it was in self-defense.
