In the summer of 2019, a friendship described as being like that of a father and son took a tragic and fatal turn. Cory Leo Housel, a 32-year-old Caucasian male, was staying with his close friend, Thomas Ralph Bristow, in a fifth-wheel trailer next to Bristow's workshop in Helena, Montana. However, their bond had become strained, and Bristow had asked Housel to move out by the end of June.
The source of the conflict stemmed from accusations that Housel had been stealing drug money, leading to disputes with others who would show up at Bristow's property seeking retribution.
On June 30, 2019, the simmering tensions erupted into a final, deadly confrontation. In an attempt to smooth things over, Housel invited two individuals, Steven Yahne and Tricia Werner, to Bristow's shop to resolve one of the disputes. Before their arrival, Housel came to collect some of his belongings. Bristow noticed a pistol on the seat of Housel's truck and took it from him. Later, while Housel was moving his things, he shouted at Bristow, Yahne, and Werner to stop talking about him. This led to a verbal altercation between Housel and Bristow. Bristow then dry-fired the pistol towards the ground before chambering a round. As he raised the firearm, it discharged, striking Housel in the head and killing him. The witnesses to this harrowing event, Yahne and Werner, immediately fled the scene.
Following the shooting, Bristow attempted to conceal the crime. He contacted Yahne and Werner, offering to let them divide Housel's belongings if they remained silent. However, they reported the incident to the police. When an officer arrived at his residence the next morning, Bristow denied any knowledge of what had happened and lied about his whereabouts. Investigators later discovered that Bristow had wrapped Housel's body in a tarp and disposed of it on a mountainside 20 miles away. Officers also found a tarp with Housel's blood on it, a bullet with blood and hair lodged in the garage door, and eventually located Housel's abandoned truck.
Thomas Ralph Bristow was arrested and charged with deliberate homicide, tampering with evidence, and criminal possession of dangerous drugs. In a plea agreement, Bristow entered an Alford plea to the charge of deliberate homicide, with the other charges being dropped. While he agreed that he had caused Housel's death, the intentionality of the act remained a point of contention. Bristow claimed he only meant to fire warning shots and that the gun went off accidentally. The prosecution argued that his actions after the shooting, including the disposal of the body and his initial deception, pointed to a deliberate act. Ultimately, the court sentenced Bristow to 70 years in Montana State Prison.
