20-year-old shoots, kills and buries his boss in Austin, CO
AUSTIN, Colo. (KREX) — Thursday morning – David Vieira was working on his ranch in Austin, Colorado – in between Delta and Hotchkiss – with the help of Luke Shelton, a relatively new ranch-hand —there for less than a year.
WesternSlopeNow’s Timber Schuman spoke to a couple neighbors who told him one of the things David and his crew were working on was planting trees on the barren hillside.
Delta County Sheriff Mark Taylor tells WesternSlopeNow on Jan. 4, about a quarter to 10, Sheriff’s communications center received a call from an individual stating his boss had been shot.
He also says deputies responded to the 10,000 block of Payne Siding Road, contacting the person who called in along with another man they suspected was the shooter.
After they made contact with those two individuals, they located a deceased body that was partially buried. The deputies attempted life-saving maneuvers, but they were unsuccessful.
The arrest affidavit reveals ranch owner David Vieira suffered three gunshot wounds, one to the head, from a .45 caliber 1911 pistol, recovered from inside a skid-steer on the property. He did not survive.
As the coroner rolled in, Delta County Sheriffs and CBI investigated the case together, arresting and charging 20-year-old Luke Shelton of Grand Junction with first-degree murder and tampering with a deceased body.
Shelton remains held on a $500,000 bond at the Delta County jail.
Investigators haven’t yet determined the motive for Vieira’s murder, but Taylor tells WesternSlopeNow the first thing that comes to mind is the suspects were expecting to take some of the property from Vieira.
However, the affidavit shows…Shelton repeatedly expressed his hatred for Vieira as a person and as a boss to a responding deputy. The affidavit shows Shelton admitted to deputies he plotted to kill his boss and intended to wait three months after killing him to report him as a missing person.
The affidavit also describes…Shelton told the deputy he and another ranch-hand planned to split Vieira’s assets, but regretfully told officers, “I guess it wasn’t worth murdering over money.”
The other person who allegedly planned to help Luke is not charged with anything at the moment. The affidavit shows Shelton told the deputy — he had just “snapped” and didn’t plan on shooting Vieira that particular day.
Luke Shelton’s first upcoming court date is a virtual preliminary demand.
This still is an open and active investigation, so Sheriff Taylor says little more can be told for now, but WesternSlopeNow will keep you updated as we learn new details.
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