KALISPELL — The Kalispell man who pleaded guilty to the death of a homeless man in June of 2023 has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Kaleb Fleck had changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on one charge of deliberate homicide on Feb. 4 after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.
Fleck, who was 19 at the time of the assault, was sentenced Monday morning to a total of 50 years in prison with 10 of those years suspended. He also must pay restitution and register as a violent offender.
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Fleck was taken into custody for the assault and murder of 60-year-old Scott Bryan on June 25, 2023.
During Monday's trial, the courtroom heard from friends and family of Scott including one from the Flathead Warming Center's resource manager Sean O'Neill.
“I couldn't shake thinking about the choices these young men made to not only remove Scott Bryan from this earth but to film it, and the pride they demonstrated afterward," O'Neill said. "It's sad, disgusting, and shows what these young men value in life.”
Just before the sentencing took place, the courtroom heard character witness statements from friends and family of Fleck including one from his mother Kayla Mahlen.
“This is just a bump in the road, he didn't mean it he's remorseful, he is sad," Mahlen said. "His whole family is here on his side, wanting the best for him. That's all we want is the best for him and this was just a mistake, and he did not mean it.”
Court documents stated that Kalispell Police arrived on the scene in the Meridian Road area and found Bryan lying face down on the ground bleeding profusely behind a gas station.
Bryan was taken to Logan Health in Kalispell where he was pronounced dead approximately a half-hour after the 2:30 a.m. attack.
A witness at the scene showed law enforcement a short video and officers identified the two suspects as Fleck and 18-year-old Wiley Meeker of Somers.
Fleck and Meeker later admitted to police in separate interviews that they were inside a truck at the gas station when a man approached the vehicle.
Court documents state Fleck admitted to getting out of the truck and assaulting Bryan.
Meeker told police he pulled Fleck away from Bryan and then left the scene.
A search of a home where Fleck was found turned up a pair of boots with suspected blood stains in the garage.
- information from Derek Joseph included in this report.
