Key witnesses recount minutes leading up to shooting in rest stop murder case

IDAHO FALLS — Two key witnesses took the stand in the Randy Larkin rest stop murder trial on the third and fourth day of court in Bonneville County.

Randy Larkin, 59, was charged with one count of first-degree murder for the death of 36-year-old Morey Pelton. Larkin’s friends — Gerald Hamlin and William Burton — were in a vehicle with him the night of the incident on May 12, 2022. Hamlin drove, Larkin was a passenger, and Burton was sitting in the backseat.

During Hamlin and Burton’s testimony, they talked about what they remembered about the events leading up to the shooting of Pelton at the Lane Clark Rest Area along U.S. Highway 26 between Ririe and Swan Valley.

During opening arguments earlier this week, the prosecution and defense offered different theories about the motivations behind the killing. Prosecutors described it as a deliberate act fueled by greed over borrowed money. Defense attorneys claim that Larkin shot Pelton in self-defense.

Pelton’s body was found by a passerby the day after the shooting. Larkin was indicted for the murder on July 14, 2022, and the trial began on Monday with jury selection.

Friday marks the fourth day of the trial, which is expected to last two weeks. 

RELATED | Rest stop murder trial begins in Bonneville County

RELATED | Newly filed court documents detail alleged motive in murder of 36-year-old father

According to attorneys in the courtroom, a few weeks before the shooting took place on the night of May 12, 2022, Larkin had given some money to Pelton, but Pelton had not given the money back. According to witness testimony in court, before the shooting occurred, Larkin had asked several people if they knew where to find Pelton.

William “Buckskin” Burton

One of the men Larkin had talked to was William or Billy “Buckskin” Burton. He was called as a witness on Thursday and was wearing a plaid shirt with a dark-colored vest. He also has a handlebar mustache. 

In 2022, Burton was working on a project at Larkin’s home and painting his cabinets. However, he never finished the project.

Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Neal questioned Burton, “Why didn’t you finish?”

“Uh … because we got in trouble,” he said. 

“You got into some trouble? What do you mean by that?” Neal said. 

“Someone got shot in the rest area, and we were there,” Burton testified in court. 

Burton said a few weeks before the shooting occurred, he was painting cabinets in Larkin’s home, and Larkin had talked about Pelton. 

At some point, Larkin mentioned Pelton owed him money and that “he wanted to beat the s*** out of him.” He said Larkin had brought up Pelton a few other times in conversation. 

Burton had known Pelton for many years. 

On the day of the shooting, Burton said he got into a vehicle with Larkin around 5 or 6 p.m. Hamlin was also there to drive the car.  

“We were going to go into town (to Idaho Falls from Swan Valley) and party, is what I thought we were going to do,” Burton said. 

The three stopped in for a drink at the Covered Wagon, a bar in Irwin. They left, and Burton said they were headed to Idaho Falls. He had had at least ten shots of tequila at that point and was playing a game on his phone in the backseat of Hamlin’s vehicle while Larkin and Hamlin were talking in the front of the car.  

They stopped at the rest area, and Larkin got out of the vehicle and went to the bathroom. 

“Prior to meeting up with Pelton, did Larkin make any kind of threats towards Pelton?” Neal asked Burton in court. 

“Yeah, he said he wanted to beat him up because he owed him money. He said, ‘I’d like to shoot the little son of a b****,’” he said. 

When Larkin came back from the restroom, they drove over to another part of the rest area. A man named Kelly Hincks was there. He then heard Larkin say that Pelton was there. 

EastIdahoNews.com has previously reported Hincks and Pelton were meeting up because Hincks was buying drugs from Pelton. Larkin had learned of the meet-up and decided to go there. 

Hamlin then parked his vehicle, and Larkin got out and went to the two vehicles where Hincks and Pelton were.

“I was still playing on my phone, and I happened to look up, and I guess (Larkin) was standing in between the cars,” Burton said. “I heard him and Morey arguing. I heard Morey say, ‘I am not scared of you, Randy Larkin’, and then I heard a gunshot.”

He said after he heard the gunshot, he ducked. 

“I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know anybody got shot until the next day,” Burton said. 

Burton looked up and saw Larkin coming back toward the vehicle where Hamlin and him were. 

Burton told the courtroom that he asked Larkin what had just happened. The only response he got was to keep his mouth shut and not say anything.

He said nobody talked in the car as they drove back to Swan Valley. Burton told the court that he didn’t know who shot who and that “I didn’t want to get shot either.” 

Larkin’s attorney, Allen Browning, cross-examined Burton and asked about the first time he was contacted by law enforcement and how he lied to them, saying he wasn’t at the scene. 

“I didn’t know where Randy was and if he would come shoot me,” Burton said. “I should have told them the truth to begin with.”

According to court records, Burton was not charged with a crime in this incident. 

Gerald Hamlin 

Another witness at the scene — Hamlin — was called to the stand. He was dressed in a jumpsuit and had shackles. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Hamlin was recently sentenced to a retained jurisdiction for his role in the killing. As part of a plea agreement, Hamlin agreed to testify against Larkin.

His attorney, John Thomas, was sitting near him in the courtroom while he was questioned. 

Hamlin was on the stand Thursday evening and into part of Friday morning. 

He said he knew Burton and Larkin but did not know Pelton. 

Hamlin talked about how Larkin wanted to buy methamphetamine from him. On the day of the shooting, Hamlin said he had stopped by Larkin’s home in the morning to drop off the drugs, but Larkin wasn’t there. He left and drove to Alpine, Wyoming, to visit a friend. Hamlin came back later in the day and texted Larkin.

Larkin had asked Hamlin for a ride because he needed to “meet somebody” in Idaho Falls.

Hamlin, Larkin, and Burton eventually got in Hamlin’s vehicle. They went to the Covered Wagon for drinks. They left, and Hamlin believed he was driving to Idaho Falls, but the plans changed when Hamlin said Larkin received either a call or a text and was told to meet at the rest stop area. 

Hamlin said they drove to the bathrooms where Larkin got out to use the restroom and returned. Hamlin then drove to where there were two cars in the rest area. Hamlin said it was hard to see because it was dark at this point. 

He said Larkin did not tell him what he was planning on doing. Larkin got out of the vehicle and went towards the two vehicles that were present.

“I don’t know what their conversation was. I just heard it towards the end when one person said: ‘F*** you, Randy, what are you going to do, shoot me?’” Hamlin said. 

Hamlin said he heard a gunshot and then heard, “Oh f*** Randy.” 

He told the courtroom that he had never heard Pelton’s voice before, so he didn’t know who it was at the time. 

“I looked at Billy Burton (after the gunshot). Our mouths were open and in shock,” Hamlin said.

In court, he was asked if he had ever watched Larkin when he was out of the vehicle, and he said he hadn’t. Hamlin said he was minding his own business and on his phone.

When Larkin returned, he had told Hamlin to get out of there and keep his mouth shut and that “snitches they find in ditches.” 

Hamlin said he dropped everyone off at various locations.

When asked in court if he had contacted the authorities, Hamlin said he hadn’t. When asked why, he replied, “Because I was told to keep my mouth shut and snitches they find in ditches.”

He said he had received calls from numbers he didn’t recognize, telling him to keep quiet. Hamlin admitted he was scared and was afraid to say anything to authorities. 

Larkin’s daughter

Larkin’s daughter, Chelcee, also took the stand on Thursday, and EastIdahoNews.com was asked not to film her face or voice. She wore a high ponytail, a blazer and high heels. 

She testified that she had gone to the hospital to see her father. This was sometime after the shooting incident. Chelcee said she was unaware of the shooting until her father told her about it. 

Chelcee said her sister had called her telling her that their father had tried to commit suicide and that he might not make it. He was taken to Idaho Falls Community Hospital. 

When Chelcee went to see Larkin, he was incapacitated in his hospital bed. When he regained consciousness, he began to tell her. 

“He said that he had made a mistake that he had shot somebody,” she said on the stand. 

What’s next

 
Hincks will not be testifying in court because he died earlier this year. However, there is a written statement that he gave law enforcement before he died, that is expected to be read. 

Many witnesses, including police at the crime scene and Pelton’s friends have taken the stand. 

The trial will continue next week.