Second man indicted in local murder case at Ririe-area rest stop
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IDAHO FALLS – A 61-year-old man was indicted by a grand jury and arrested Thursday for aiding and abetting the first-degree murder of a man in 2022.
Gerald Hamlin of Puyallup, Washington, was indicted by a grand jury on one count of principal to first-degree murder, one count of accessory to first-degree murder, and one count of destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence.
According to the indictment, Hamlin “did aid and abet Randy Michael Larkin in the willful, unlawful, deliberate, with premeditation and with malice aforethought, killing of Morey P. Pelton.”
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Randy Larkin was indicted by a grand jury on July 14, 2022, and charged with one count of first-degree murder.
According to Hamlin’s indictment, he had “knowledge that Randy Michael Larkin had committed the crime of murder in the first degree…did willfully withhold or conceal that knowledge from a peace officer.”
Hamlin also allegedly “did willfully destroy text message(s) between the defendant and another suspect, knowing that the text message(s) were about to be produced, used or discovered as evidence.”
According to a news release from Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal, Hamlin was arrested in Kitsap County, Washington, where he waived extradition.
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He was then transported to the Bonneville County Jail.
Martin Pelton, Morey’s father, spoke to EastIdahoNews.com about the new indictment, saying the court process is grueling, but it feels good to make progress in the search for justice for his son.
“Another one bites the dust,” says Pelton. “They didn’t call 911. They just drove away and left my son bleeding out.”
Pelton has been speaking out since the beginning of the case, trying to make those accountable for his son’s death face their day in court.
“(Morey) didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve that. Just call 911, don’t drive away and leave him in the parking lot like that,” says Pelton. “It’s hard to hang in there through all of these trials, and all of this, you know?”
Hamlin is expected to appear in court on Thursday at 1 p.m, and Larkin’s next appearance is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on Oct. 15.
Background
Pelton’s body was found on May 13, 2022, at the Lane Clark Rest Area on U.S. Highway 26 between Ririe and Swan Valley.
According to Neal, Pelton was found deceased from a single gunshot wound. Few other details about the case have been released.
Larkin was arrested at a residence in Chubbuck on July 15, 2022, and was taken to the Bonneville County Jail and booked on a $1 million bond for a first-degree murder warrant.