CUSTER COUNTY, Idaho — Defense attorneys for a Custer County man charged with murder have filed a motion seeking to separate charges into multiple trials, citing constitutional protections and concerns about prejudicial evidence.

Alan Douglas Bruce, arrested May 12 in connection with the death of Patrick Ray Shelton, 47, faces charges including felony murder, destruction of evidence, failure to report a death and being a felon in possession of a firearm. His attorney, R. James Archibald, filed the motion to bifurcate on Sept. 9 in Idaho's Seventh Judicial District Court.

As KTVB previously reported , Shelton was reported missing on May 10 after failing to return from a firewood gathering trip near Challis. Search teams located his red 2001 Dodge Ram pickup and dog in the Big Hill Area,

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