A Flathead Valley man charged in the murder of a homeless man in the parking lot of a Kalispell gas station in 2023 has pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide in Flathead County District Court.  

Appearing before Judge Heidi Ulbricht on Feb. 4, Kaleb Elijah Fleck, 20, entered the guilty plea after taking a deal with prosecutors. Ulbricht set sentencing for March 31. 

Under the terms of the agreement, prosecutors will recommend that Fleck serve a 50-year sentence in the Montana State Prison with 10 years suspended and be designated a violent offender. He will forfeit the ability to own weapons and pay court fines and fees as well as restitution. 

The agreement allows Fleck's defense attorney to argue for a 40-year sentence with 20 years suspended. He would still be designated a violent offender and barred from possessing weapons.  

Fleck is accused of attacking 60-year-old Scott E. Bryan, a homeless man, in the parking lot behind a Conoco gas station and convenience store on the intersection of North Meridian Road and Appleway Drive about 2:20 a.m., June 25, 2023. First responders found Bryan face down on the pavement, suffering from serious wounds to the face and back of the head. Taken to Logan Health Medical Center, Bryan later succumbed to his injuries.  

“An officer present noted that Scott had severe facial and head trauma, including lacerations and exposed bone,” reads an affidavit filed in district court. “The officer noted that it appeared that Scott’s nasal cavity had been crushed.” 

Investigators received a video of the attack from a witness at the gas station, according to court documents. The description provided of the recording in court documents matches a video shared on social media around the same time of Fleck and another man discussing the attack.  

“You [expletive]ed that guy up, dude,” the other man can be heard telling Fleck, who replies: “Step up. Step up [expletive].” 

Authorities tracked the pair down separately, according to court documents. They both acknowledged being at the gas station inside a vehicle and Fleck allegedly admitted attacking Bryan after he approached them.  

A search of the home where Fleck was staying turned up a pair of boots with possible blood stains left in the garage, court documents said.  

Bryan's death, coming just months after the Flathead County commissioners issued a letter urging residents to stop aiding homeless people and the organizations that serve them, roiled the community. A vigil and walk was held in his memory on July 1, 2023, along North Meridian Road, which is also home to the Flathead Warming Center, an overnight shelter where Bryan occasionally stayed.  

"We’re a family,” Flathead Warming Center Director Tonya Horn said following Bryan's murder. "We are going through all the emotions and every emotion is right." 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].