In the quiet community of Lolo, Montana, the life of 51-year-old Bradley Stover, a male resident, came to an abrupt and violent end on January 9, 2017. His body was discovered in a cabin situated behind Roper's Lounge, where he and another individual, 43-year-old Tonya Gilliam, had both suffered fatal gunshot wounds. The scene that unfolded for law enforcement pointed to a complex and tragic series of events.
A third person present in the cabin, Anthony Mark Vallier, was taken into custody for questioning and provided a harrowing account of what had transpired.
According to Vallier, he and Gilliam had been drinking heavily that day and were discussing the purchase of a gun from Stover. Vallier claimed that Stover unexpectedly discharged the handgun, fatally striking Gilliam. In the ensuing chaos, Vallier asserted that he struggled to take the weapon from Stover, and in the course of the altercation, the gun fired again, killing Stover. Investigators at the scene reported that they found no immediate evidence to contradict Vallier's version of the events. While the public was assured that there was no ongoing threat, the investigation into the double fatality was far from over.
As detectives delved deeper into the case, a new layer of intrigue emerged. It was discovered that a significant amount of cash, which Stover was known to have had in his possession, was missing from the scene. The investigation then turned a sharper focus on Anthony Mark Vallier, who, despite having a limited income, had deposited a large sum of money just three days after the shootings. This led to charges being filed against Vallier, not for the deaths of Stover and Gilliam, but for felony theft and evidence tampering.
The charges alleged that Vallier had taken the cash from Stover's pocket after he was deceased and later deposited it. While Vallier was not charged with homicide, his actions following the deaths led to his arrest. He was scheduled for arraignment on April 11, 2017, and was reportedly free under pretrial supervision at that time. The tragic deaths of Bradley Stover and Tonya Gilliam left many questions, and while one man faced charges related to the aftermath, the full story of the final moments in the small cabin near Lolo may never be completely known.
