In the early morning hours of January 25, 2017, the life of 31-year-old White / Caucasian male, Kenneth Lee Purcell Jr., was cut short in the parking lot of a Motel 6 in Helena, Montana. An altercation that began inside a motel room spilled out into the cold, where Purcell was fatally shot. The events leading up to his death involved a dispute with another man, which escalated from a physical fight to the use of a firearm.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to Brandon
LeClair, a 41-year-old man with a criminal history involving drugs. According to a woman who was with LeClair, Travis Holly Stephens, the conflict began in their motel room where Purcell allegedly struck LeClair with a whiskey bottle and kicked him. The fight then moved outside, culminating in the deadly shooting. LeClair was apprehended later the same day in the nearby town of Boulder and charged with deliberate homicide.
Court documents revealed a contentious history between the two men, who both had ties to the drug trade. LeClair informed investigators that Purcell had been harassing and threatening him on social media, labeling him a "snitch." This accusation stemmed from LeClair's past cooperation with law enforcement as a confidential informant in a significant methamphetamine case. In the car Stephens was driving, police discovered a pound of methamphetamine and marijuana, leading to her arrest on drug-related charges. LeClair was held on a $250,000 bond, while Stephens' bail was set at $150,000.
