Kalispell Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Homeless Man’s Murder

The 20-year-old Kalispell man who admitted to beating a 60-year-old homeless man to death outside of a gas station in 2023 has been sentenced to 50 years in the Montana State Prison with 10 years suspended.

Kaleb Elijah Fleck in February pleaded guilty to a felony count of deliberate homicide before Flathead County District Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht. He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charge in June 2023.

Following the prosecution’s recommendation, Judge Ulbricht imposed the sentence at a March 31 hearing. Fleck is also ordered to pay restitution costs, he’s required to register as a violent offender, he will be eligible to apply for conditional discharge and he will receive credit for 11 days served.  

Fleck was released from the Flathead County Detention Center shortly after his arrest in July of 2023 when he posted a $500,000 property bond. He has since been required to wear a GPS monitor.

Montana Department of Justice Assistant Attorneys General Meghann Paddock and Caitlin Creighton, who are serving as special deputy county attorneys in the case, in October amended the charge to include a revised set of charging documents that stated Fleck intentionally committed aggravated assault and, by fleeing the scene, caused the death of Scott Bryan.

In June of 2023, Fleck beat 60-year-old Scott Bryan to death at the Conoco gas station at the intersection of Meridian Road and Appleway Drive, causing significant bleeding and facial and head injuries. Soon after, an eight-second video of the incident’s aftermath captured by his then 18-year-old friend Wiley Meeker of Somers circulated on social media.

“Kaleb Fleck brutally assaulted Scott Bryan, causing an open skull fracture and part of a broken nasal bone protruding out of his forehead,” Judge Ulbricht said during the sentencing hearing. “Kaleb Fleck left the victim alone in the parking lot, did not call 911 or summon for any help for the victim. The victim was still alive when the first responders arrived on the scene and the medical examiner concluded that the cause of death was blunt force injuries and the manner of death was homicide.”

Judge Ulbricht cited the violent manner of his death as she passed down the sentence but also took the defendant’s age, which was 19 years old at the time of the incident, and his lack of criminal history into consideration.

“Kaleb Fleck is a violent offender, and the sentence must protect the public, reduce crime and provide for public safety,” Judge Ulbricht said.

Fleck’s defense attorneys, Julianne and Sean Hinchey, requested a 40-year sentence in the Montana State Prison, with 20 years suspended, citing his young age, the 40 letters of support, a lack of criminal history and his consistent character description as a kind and hardworking father.

During the hearing, several of Bryan’s family members read victim impact statements, describing their relative as a disabled and chronically ill man who became homeless about a year before he was killed.

Bryan’s sister, Holly Torska, testified via Zoom that her brother grew up on the East Coast where he suffered a traumatic brain injury as a child, which lead to epilepsy. Her brother’s health condition continued to worsen throughout his life, which included lung cancer.

Torksa described Bryan’s death as an act of horrific violence against a vulnerable population, and she asked the court to impose more jail time than the prosecution’s recommendation.

“This was unspeakable, unnecessary and inhumane,” Torska said. “Scott was a person who would give you the shirt off his back – you just had to ask … being unhoused is not a crime, but being beaten to death is.”

Sean Patrick O’Neill, a Kalispell social worker who assisted Bryan with housing over the last few years, told the court about his experience working with the defendant and described his deteriorating physical and mental condition.

Days before his death, O’Neill said Bryan was “bruised and battered” after already being assaulted earlier that week.

“The Scott I had known was a shell of himself,” O’Neill said.

In addition to the defendant’s letters of support, Fleck’s friends and family members provided testimony to the court, describing him as a quiet, hardworking new father who acted out of character and expressed remorse.

Fleck’s aunt, Summer Laven, said while she acknowledged Bryan’s death as a tragedy, she said her nephew was “just a kid” who did not mean to take anyone’s life.

“I know Kaleb is a man of God and he walks with faith, and I think when you sentence him, you will realize that he is a good person and it’s not what the media says or social media,” Laven said. “He is a good father, brother, son, and nephew and it’s a travesty – all of it.”

Fleck’s mother, Kayla Mahlen, testified that she believed her son was in the “wrong place at the wrong time” during the incident and cast blame on Meeker.

The two friends documented the assault’s aftermath on Snapchat with the camera panning between Fleck and Bryan’s motionless body on the ground, and Meeker can be heard saying, “You (expletive) that guy up dude,” with Fleck responding, “Step up. Step up (expletive).”

Meeker was also arrested on a deliberate homicide charge at the time of the incident but was released from the Flathead County Detention Center two days later. He has not been charged with any crime related to Bryan’s death.

“He was a 19-year-old in fight or flight mode and thought he knocked someone out and left,” Mahlen said. “He thought he would get up – he didn’t know. He didn’t even see the person it was so dark out – he did not know what he was doing.”

But prosecutors did not see the incident as a “case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” and instead described Fleck as a strong young man who brutally beat a frail and disabled elderly man.

“This isn’t someone who is showing remorse,” Creighton said. “Someone who then brags on a Snapchat video after nearly killing someone who then will ultimately die. That’s not somebody who is well-mannered or shy.”

Fleck’s defense attorney Julianne Hinchey said her client feared for his life during the night of the homicide when Bryan approached their vehicle while he was high on methamphetamine and “mumbling gibberish.”

“The choice 19-year-old Kaleb made was a choice to get out of the car,” Hinchey said. “This is a reaction of a kid who had never been in trouble before that happened.”

Prior to sentencing, Fleck provided a brief testimony, apologizing to the court and expressing remorse over Bryan’s death.

“There’s not a day goes by that I don’t think about it,” Fleck said. “I’m super sorry and I wish it never happened.”

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