Trial set for man accused of manslaughter
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SALMON – A man accused of voluntary manslaughter will stand trial after being indicted by a grand jury.
The trial for Tel Pethtel, 27, is scheduled to begin in front of District Judge Stevan Thompson on April 17.
Pethtel was indicted on a charge of felony voluntary manslaughter on Dec 9.
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On Oct. 18, 2021, the Lemhi County Sheriff’s office received a call about a crash in the Panther Creek Road area. When deputies arrived, they discovered the body of 32-year-old Jon Ryan Kesterson down an embankment and into the trees.
Investigators say Pethtel, Kesterson and an unnamed woman were together when Kesterson died. They later discovered Pethtel was driving the pickup truck.
Deputies eventually located Pethtel and the woman about 10 hours after Kesterson died.
According to them, Pethel and someone in the pickup got into a disagreement. They got out of the pickup and started fighting, according to court documents.
“At some point during that altercation, Pethtel claimed a .22 magnum handgun went off and (Kesterson) was struck with a bullet and died,” police reports state. “Pethtel also fired a .22 magnum rifle three times during this brief time period.”
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The two went to a hunter’s camp in the area to get a ride to a family member’s home where they stayed afterward. Deputies say Pethtel and the woman never contacted authorities about Kesterson’s death.
Later on, the two went to Challis, where Pethtel reportedly burned a pair of pants with blood on them, according to court documents. The two then took showers, destroying the blood and DNA evidence on their bodies.
Pethtel also took the boots he wore during the shooting and hid them in a building under a tarp, according to court documents.
When deputies contacted the two around 6 p.m., Pethtel pointed them toward a .22 caliber rifle hanging on a gun rack at the home. Investigators also recovered the handgun allegedly used in the shooting.
Pethtel is not legally permitted to have guns because he is a convicted felon in Oregon and Idaho.
According to court documents, he and the woman said they kept the guns belonging to a family member to protect themselves from wolves and for everyday carry because they were in a wilderness area.
“Each felt their safety from wolves outweighed the felony conviction restrictions of Pethtel in regard to firearm possession,” the probable cause statement reads.
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Deputies say Pethtel then tried to fabricate a story about what happened.
He reportedly sent Facebook messages to others, saying (name redacted) became intoxicated and upset. The messages then said (name redacted) drove away from the house in the truck with the ATV and a .22 handgun.
“That was the last time either Pethtel or (name redacted) had seen (name redacted) and they had no information as to his whereabouts when contacted by law enforcement on this date,” the affidavit reads. “The Facebook texts were an attempt to cover up Pethtels and (name redacted) involvements in this vehicle accident and apparent unlawful death scene.”
Pethtel was taken into custody and booked into the Ada County Jail before being transferred to the Lemhi County Jail.
The indictment was filed on Dec. 9 and Pethtel’s bond was set to $500,000 on Dec. 30 during his initial appearance. It was later reduced to $450,000.
If convicted, Pethtel faces up to 15 years in prison.
Although Pethtel is accused of these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.