SWAN VALLEY — A third man has been arrested in connection with the 2022 rest stop murder of 36-year-old Morey Pelton.
William James Burton Jr. has been charged with felony accessory for willfully withholding or concealing knowledge of a felony from a peace officer, judge, or juror.
Pelton’s body was discovered on May 13, 2022, at the Lane Clark Rest Area on US Highway 26 between Ririe and Swan Valley.
In October 2024, Gerald Hamlin, 63, was sentenced to three to ten years in prison for felony accessory.
Randy Michael Larkin, 63, was sentenced in January to 25 years to life in prison for Pelton’s second-degree murder.
According to court documents, Burton, also known as “Billy Buckskin,” voluntarily went to the Swan Valley Field Office on June 14, 2022, to speak with detectives about Pelton’s murder.
Burton was asked “several times” during an interview about his whereabouts on May 12. Burton allegedly denied being with Larkin on the night of Pelton’s murder, claiming he “was not withholding any information (deputies) would find out later.”
According to police reports, Burton claimed he had no involvement in Morey Pelton’s murder.
On October 5, 2022, detectives questioned Burton again, and he reportedly “volunteered that he had in fact been with Randy Larkin” on the night of the murder. Burton told detectives that he was inside Hamlin’s Mercedes SUV when Larkin and Pelton argued in the rest stop’s parking lot.
Burton stated that he “heard a loud noise” during their interaction, but denied seeing Larkin with a firearm. According to police reports, Burton informed detectives that he “didn’t know Pelton was deceased until the following morning.”
He also stated that Larkin instructed him and Hamlin to “keep their mouths shut (about the shooting)”. Burton then allegedly admitted that he withheld information about the investigation because he was “scared to death” and worried that Larkin would harm him.
According to Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal, the charges took nearly three years to be filed because there were concerns that charging Burton would interfere with his ability to testify as a witness in Larkin’s 2024 trial.
A warrant for Burton’s arrest was issued on Thursday, and he was booked into the Bonneville County Jail on a $35,000 bond. He posted bail and was released on Friday.
Burton is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on September 9. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
Burton has been charged with these crimes, but that does not necessarily imply he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
