70-year-old Idaho man enters Alford pleas in death and dismemberment of missing man

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Alan Bruce, 70, entered Alford pleas for second-degree murder and evidence destruction on Wednesday.
He also admitted to killing and dismembering Patrick Shelton in Challis, Idaho, in May.
Bruce's sentencing is set for Nov. 17, with a recommended 10- to 20-year term.

CHALLIS, Idaho — A 70-year-old man entered an Alford plea to killing and dismembering a missing man.

Alan Bruce entered the plea last week in the second-degree murder of 47-year-old Patrick Shelton. Bruce, who investigators said threw Shelton's burned remains in the Salmon River, also pleaded guilty to felony destruction of evidence.

An Alford plea is a guilty plea in which a defendant asserts innocence, but admits a jury would likely find them guilty based on the evidence presented.

As part of a plea agreement, Bruce agreed to take the Alford pleas in exchange for the prosecution and defense to recommend a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Bruce also agreed to waive all appeals and waive the filing of a Rule 35 motion, which argues the need to correct a sentence that has been imposed in an illegal manner or to reduce a sentence.

Bruce is expected to appear for sentencing on Nov. 17.

Case details

According to court documents, the Custer County Sheriff's Office was notified on May 10 of a missing man, identified as Shelton. Later that day, deputies found Shelton's red 2001 Dodge pickup near Big Hill by Forest Service Road 256 with his dog inside. Deputies searched the area and found no signs of Shelton.

On May 11, deputies and Custer County Search and Rescue continued to look near the area where the truck was found. Idaho State Police assisted, and the truck was taken to the Custer County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies and a state police sergeant looked inside the vehicle, where they said they saw "blood spatter and possible brain tissue." Police reports say the brain matter was "throughout the front of the interior" and on the rearview mirror.

They also found the copper jacket of a bullet on the passenger side window and "what appeared to be red human hair on the same windowsill."

Patrick Shelton. The 47-year-old man was killed and dismembered by Alan Bruce, who entered Alford pleas in the case on Wednesday. (Photo: Custer County Sheriff's Office)

One of Shelton's relatives said they found a piece of mail addressed to Bruce on the road near Shelton's truck.

The sheriff's office then looked at the location data from Shelton's phone and saw that he was in the area of Bruce's home on May 8 from 12:12 a.m. until 9:16 a.m., when the cellular carrier stopped receiving the location information.

Court documents say that when that happens, the cellphone is either powered off or destroyed and no longer communicates with the network. Police reports say the sheriff's office learned that Bruce had recently "obtained a black rifle that the reporting party thinks was an AR."

Deputies then obtained a warrant for Bruce's property to look for Shelton, Shelton's phone, the rifle and ammunition.

When they met with Bruce, he allegedly denied killing Shelton, owning any firearms and knowing where Shelton was. He was then taken back to his home.

Law enforcement began searching his property, where they reportedly found "possible bone fragments and broken glass behind a white Ford pickup," along with a burn barrel with a broken truck window and a bag for dog treats inside.

Deputies say they found "what appeared to be small flecks of human flesh, including what appeared to me to be red human hair" along the side of Bruce's camping trailer.

A K-9 reportedly indicated on a burn barrel, a Shop-Vac and three spots on the property. Two of those spots were where deputies reportedly found possible bone fragments.

Bruce's account

Deputies took Bruce to the broken glass and possible bone fragments, and he allegedly said he was "going to go to jail for a long time."

Bruce told deputies he was at his property when Shelton arrived in his red Dodge on May 8. Shelton crashed into the passenger side of Bruce's red Dodge truck. Bruce then got into his Ford truck and left the property, going to an unidentified friend's house to get an AR-style rifle.

Bruce said his friend then dropped him off south of his property, where he "utilized the cover of darkness and snuck back onto his property."

He then allegedly used night vision and binoculars to watch as "Shelton moved between Bruce's property and Shelton's RV," which Bruce had reportedly moved off the property to the east. Documents do not detail how Shelton's RV got to the property. Deputies said Bruce admitted to spending "hours" watching Shelton.

At one point, Shelton parked his truck at the property's entrance and illuminated the area with his headlights. Bruce said he saw Shelton holding a silver-colored handgun and walking from the area of Bruce's camping trailer to a nearby shop.

Shelton then went to his truck and left the gun inside, leaving the property.

Bruce says he was hiding near a road grader when Shelton returned and parked behind Bruce's white Ford truck, next to where he was hiding. He then says he went up to Shelton while Shelton was sitting in his truck, pointed a rifle at him and asked, "Do you want some of this?"

Shelton reportedly responded, "You better pull the trigger, (expletive)" and revealed a .45 firearm. Bruce then allegedly shot Shelton, later telling deputies, "When that .45 came up, it was me or him."

After the shooting, court documents stated that Bruce says he removed his body from the truck and "dismembered (Shelton's) remains with a chainsaw."

He placed the remains, wood, and the chainsaw in a burn barrel and lit them on fire, according to court documents. Bruce allegedly said he put the burn barrel in his truck, took it to a bridge at Deer Gulch in Lemhi County, and dumped it into the Salmon River.

Bruce told deputies he then cleaned up the truck and the "mess from dismembering the body" with bleach, water a Shop-Vac and a rake.

He then reportedly confirmed that the broken window and dog treat bag in the barrel were from Shelton's truck. Bruce said he then used his red Dodge and tow bar to take Shelton's truck and leave it near Big Hill.

When asked why he did not contact law enforcement, Bruce allegedly said, "Shoot, shovel and shut up."

Officials then obtained an amended search warrant to look for more evidence.

Inside the white Ford that was parked in front of where Bruce says he shot Shelton, deputies found a pair of binoculars. They also found a broken pair of night vision binoculars inside one of several burn barrels.

During the second search, Bruce reportedly showed an Idaho State Police detective a photo he had taken of Shelton after he shot him. The photo allegedly shows a "male body from the torso down sitting in Shelton's Dodge truck."

Deputies say the photo shows a silver-colored pistol in the middle of the front seat. The metadata showed the photo was taken on May 8 at 6:25 a.m.

Bruce was arrested and booked into the Custer County Jail on a $1 million bond.

The Custer County Sheriff's Office suspended the search for Shelton's body on May 16, due to high and fast waters in the Salmon River. It is unclear when the search will resume.

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