In Idaho, a case involving the killing and dismemberment of a 47-year-old man has ended after the elderly defendant entered a plea agreement and ultimately recieved his punishment for the crime.
70-year-old Alan Bruce entered Alford pleas to second-degree murder and felony destruction of evidence in the death of Patrick Shelton, who was reported missing in May 2025.
Under the terms of the plea, Bruce maintained his innocence while acknowledging that a jury would likely find him guilty based on the evidence.
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| Patrick Shelton |
This chilling true crime case began on May 10, 2025, when the Custer County Sheriff’s Office received a report that Shelton was missing.
Later that same day, deputies located his red 2001 Dodge pickup near Big Hill along Forest Service Road 256, with his dog still inside the vehicle, but a search of the surrounding area did not locate Shelton.
When crime scene investigators examined Shelton’s truck they found blood spatter and what appeared to be brain tissue throughout the front interior, including on the rearview mirror.
They also located a copper bullet jacket on the passenger-side window and what appeared to be red human hair on the windowsill, as per KSL News.
Authorities later reviewed location data from Shelton’s cellphone, and it showed that he had been in the area of Bruce’s property during the early morning hours of May 8.
The data stopped transmitting that same morning, and investigators noted that this can only occur if a phone is powered off or destroyed
During the investigation, a relative of Shelton also reported finding a piece of mail addressed to Bruce near the location where Shelton’s truck was discovered. .
Due to these red flags, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Bruce’s property. According to police reports, they found possible bone fragments, broken glass, and a burn barrel containing a broken truck window and a bag for dog treats.
Investigators also noted the presence of what appeared to be small flecks of human tissue and hair near a camping trailer on the property. A K-9 unit was later brought in and it led detectives to several areas and locations where additional fragments were reportedly found.
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When Bruce was initially interviewed by police, he denied any involvement in Shelton’s disappearance, lied about owning firearms, and claimed he did not know Shelton’s whereabouts.
However, after he was confronted with the overwhelming evidence, he provided his account of what happened between him and Shelton.
According to Bruce, Shelton arrived at his property on May 8, and crashed into one of his vehicles and left.
Bruce said Shelton came back to the property later that night and parked his vehicle, so he approached Shelton and confronted him while he was still sitting inside the truck.
According to Bruce’s account, after he pointed a rifle at Shelton during the confrontation, Shelton allegedly produced a handgun, so Bruce said he then shot Shelton in self-defense.
Bruce also admitted to removing Shelton’s body from the vehicle and dismembering it using a chainsaw.
He then placed the remains, along with wood and the chainsaw, into a burn barrel and set it on fire. When he was done, he transported the barrel to a bridge at Deer Gulch in Lemhi County and disposed of it in the Salmon River.
Additionally, Bruce described cleaning the scene using bleach, water, a Shop-Vac, and a rake, and he also confirmed that items found in the burn barrel, including a broken window and a dog treat bag, came from Shelton’s truck.
Authorities later found a photograph taken by Bruce, and it showed Shelton’s body inside the vehicle shortly after the shooting.
Bruce was eventually arrested and booked into the Custer County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Meanwhile, the search for Shelton’s remains was later suspended due to high and fast-moving water in the Salmon River, and only partial remains, including bone fragments, have been recovered.
On October 22, Bruce formally entered his Alford plea as part of the agreement. But during his sentencing hearing on November 17, 2025, his attorney stated that Bruce wished to withdraw the plea and proceed to trial.
However, the court denied the request, with District Judge Stevan Thompson stating that Bruce had knowingly and voluntarily entered the plea under oath and had not demonstrated good cause to withdraw it.
Bruce still maintained that his actions were in self-defense, stating that he believed Shelton posed a threat to his life.
But prosecutors pointed to his actions after the shooting, including dismembering the body, burning the remains, disposing of evidence, and initially misleading investigators, as factors that undermined that claim.
The plea agreement reduced the original charges of first-degree murder and additional offenses, and both the prosecution and defense recommended a prison term ranging from 10 to 20 years.
In the end, the court sentenced Bruce to a fixed term of 10 years in prison, followed by an additional 10 years indeterminate. He was also ordered to pay a $5,000 civil penalty and court costs.
During the sentencing, members of Shelton’s family delivered victim impact statements describing the emotional toll of his disappearance and death, as reported by East Idaho News.
Prosecutors say that the plea agreement, while unusual, had the consent of the victim’s family and ensured a murder conviction in the case.
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