TOOELE — Police have arrested a man who they say shot and killed an intruder who broke into his residence with the intent to rob him, but then dumped his body in a remote area of Tooele County rather than call police.
Brandon Keith Burr, 38, of Tooele, was arrested Sunday with help from the U.S. Marshals Office and booked into the Tooele County Jail for investigation of obstruction of justice and abuse of a dead body.
With Burr’s arrest, Tooele police say everyone involved in the fatal shooting of Devin Perryman, 24, of West Valley City, has been accounted for.
The complex investigation began about 1:40 a.m. on June 1 when police were dispatched to the area of Main Street and Utah Avenue on a call of shots fired. At that time, no evidence of a shooting was found.
The next day, about 4:30 p.m., officers responded to a psychiatric problem.
“Upon arrival, officers were told by the patient that he wanted to kill himself due to his involvement in a possible homicide,” according to a police affidavit.
The man, Austin Donavon Strelhe, 23, of Salt Lake City, claimed that a dead body would be found on the third floor of a building at 363 N. Garden St., across from the location of the previous call of shots fired, the affidavit states. It was also revealed that Strehle was the one who called police on June 1 but did not tell police at that time what had happened.
Strelhe later revealed that Perryman had contacted him about doing some robberies together, according to the affidavit.
“Mr. Strehle stated they decided to rob a known meth house and he stated it would not be an easy job. Mr. Strehle stated he did not want anyone to get hurt but wanted money,” the affidavit states. “Mr. Strehle stated he pistol-whipped the first guy and told him to give him money and then his friend and the other male began shooting each other. Mr. Strehle stated he used the first male as a shield and his friend lay deceased on the floor.”
After Burr was arrested, police say he told them that when Perryman and Strelhe entered the residence, there was a revolver on the table in front of him. Burr said he “grabbed it and shot at one of the robbery suspects. Mr. Burr was then shot by a robbery suspect, sustaining a gunshot wound to the right knee, which initiated a gunfight inside the home,” the affidavit states.
Perryman was shot multiple times during the gun battle with Burr, and was killed, according to police.
After initially fleeing the residence, Burr later returned, cleaned up the shell casings and then he and another person took Perryman’s body to Delle in northeast Tooele County to dispose of it, the affidavit states. Police found the body on Friday.
On June 4, Tooele police asked the public on social media for information regarding the whereabouts of two people, including Burr. A second person, Caitlyn Fluckiger, 26, was located that day but was not arrested.
“Mr. Burr had fled after the crime ... and we had to enlist the help of the U.S. marshals to locate Mr. Burr,” the affidavit states.
Because police say Perryman and Strehle entered Burr’s residence with the intent of committing an armed robbery, the shooting of Perryman was considered to be in self-defense.
But Tooele Police Sgt. Jeremy Hansen said the problem was that no one in the house called police, and then Burr and one other person moved the body to Delle. Charges are expected to be screened against additional suspects, he said.
Strehle was originally arrested for investigation of murder in addition to aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and interfering with an arrest because he was an accomplice to commit robbery, and because his partner was killed during the robbery.
On Tuesday, he was formally charged in 3rd District Court only with aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, both first-degree felonies. He was ordered by a judge to be held without bail.