KAYSVILLE, Utah -- Police recently recovered a .22-caliber revolver near the area where a man shot his father to death in March, and a woman is facing felony charges of obstruction of justice in the same case.
"We still don't know if it is the gun, but we found a gun," said Detective Bryan Barry.
The gun was found by a resident Oct. 31 in the hollows north of where Far West Motel was located, Barry said.
The gun matches the description of the weapon police were told was used in the shooting.
Joseph Allen Nance, 29, is charged with first-degree felony murder and third-degree felony possession of a firearm by a restricted person.
Nance's next court hearing is set for Dec. 12.
Police said Nance shot his father, Gregory A. Nance, multiple times after an argument March 19 at the Far West Motel.
Nance told police he shot his father in self-defense. Nance is being held in Davis County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
It will take the state crime lab one to two months to determine if it is the gun that was used by Nance, Barry said.
The gun was in "pretty bad shape" when police recovered it, he said. It will need to be cleaned up before officials can determine if it is the gun they have been looking for.
When police arrested Nance on March 20 he did not have the gun with him.
Another person has also been charged in connection with the murder.
Karla Jean Puffpaff, 47, of Layton, is charged with second-degree felony obstruction of justice for helping Nance hide from police.
She appeared in 2nd District Court on Monday.
Another hearing is set for Jan. 9.
Her attorney, Ryan J. Bushell, said he needs time to go through all the documents provided by prosecutors because her case is linked to a murder case.
Police said Puffpaff picked up Nance on Mutton Hollow Road shortly after he killed his father.
Nance told Puffpaff what he did and she then gave Nance supplies, in addition to driving him to an underground bunker in Layton to hide him from police, according to court documents.
Charges were filed against Puffpaff on June 30. She pleaded not guilty to the charges Oct. 24.
Deputy Davis County Attorney Brandon Poll said Puffpaff is a friend of Nance.
"We filed charges against (Puffpaff) because we can prove she knew what Joseph (Nance) had done and hid him from police," Poll said.
The bunker was created by another person Nance and Puffpaff knew, Poll said. That person had actually lived inside the bunker.
Poll said charges are not going to be filed against the person who lived in the bunker.
Copyright 2011 - Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
