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WEST VALLEY CITY — A Layton man accused in the bizarre and brutal killing of his father is now facing multiple criminal charges.
Jeremy Ross Pulver, 46, was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; three counts of possession of a weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony; drug possession, a class A misdemeanor; and drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors.
Pulver is accused of killing his father, John Stirley Pulver, 72, who was found dead in his West Valley home on April 26 from blunt force trauma to his head, possibly from a hatchet, according to charging documents.
Investigators say Jeremy Pulver is "known for being a normal guy unless he was under the influence of drugs, then he was angry, aggressive and unpredictable."
A caretaker for the elderly Pulver, who also lived at the home, further told police that his relationship with his son, Jeremy Pulver, "was strained, volatile and aggressive, and they were constantly arguing about small things. (She) stated that Pulver has struggled with substance abuse for as long as she has known him. (She) stated that she was scared of Pulver," charging documents state.
The caretaker recounted to investigators that the odd series of events began after she left the house on April 23 and returned on April 25. She said John Pulver was not in the home, but he called her claiming that his credit cards were missing, according to the charges.
Late that evening, the caretaker said she heard John Pulver and his son enter the home. She said she remained in her room because she did not want to interact with Jeremy Pulver. She overheard the Pulvers saying the elderly Pulver's credit card had $8,000 in new charges on it, and Jeremy Pulver say they would blame it on the caretaker, according to charging documents.
"A few minutes later, someone tried to open her door and John told (his son) that the police were on their way. The doorknob stopped turning and she heard (Jeremy) Pulver run out of the front door. (She) decided it wasn't safe in the home, so she climbed out her bedroom window," the charges say.
But once outside, John Pulver found the caretaker and told her "that the police were going to be looking for (his son) because he had pointed a gun at someone," according to the charges. Detectives investigating John Pulver's death later learned that his son "is being investigated for an incident on April 25 where he allegedly pointed two firearms at a neighbor because (Jeremy Pulver) wanted to purchase a puppy from a neighbor, but the neighbor didn't have any more for sale."
When the caretaker went back into the house and entered the kitchen, she found Jeremy Pulver.
"(She) saw Pulver place John's credit card on the counter," the charges state. "Pulver placed two black pills on the counter and slid them toward (the caretaker). Pulver asked John, 'Dad, did you take your pills?' Pulver told (the caretaker) that the pills were going to put John to sleep and then Pulver was going to meet her in the basement."
The caretaker returned the credit card to the father, who then told her to take his car to go to the store. The caretaker told police she left the home and ended up sleeping in the car because she was afraid of Jeremy Pulver, who had been making sexual comments to her, according to the court documents.
The next morning, when the caretaker returned to the house, she found Jeremy Pulver sitting in his vehicle in the driveway. She says she was still scared of Pulver, so she stayed in her car in front of the house.
"(She) stated that Pulver backed out of the driveway and drove up next to her car. Jeremy's driver's window was down, and he told (her), 'I killed him. I killed him and I put baking soda in his mouth. He kept screaming and screaming. You know how my dad is. He's crazy,'" the charges allege. "(The caretaker) stated that Jeremy had a weird look in his eye. Jeremy then drove away from the home."
The caretaker found John Pulver's body under a large pile of clothing on his bed. She told police it appeared someone had forced the bedroom door open. Jeremy Pulver allegedly fled the area when he heard police sirens approaching. He was later located and arrested by Clearfield police, who reported finding three guns in his vehicle.
When Jeremy Pulver was questioned by investigators, he made several odd statements, starting with claims he was upset with the caretaker for allegedly taking his father's car and credit card and leaving his father alone in the house. He claimed he drove with his father to look for her. Detectives confirmed that Jeremy Pulver and his father went to a bar and found a patron who said Jeremy Pulver told him he was going to kill his father that night because he had asked him to, the charges state.
"Pulver claimed that when they returned to the house, John told him, 'I've been wanting to end my life.' Pulver stated that John showed him his elderly body and said he didn't want to live in that elderly condition any longer," the charges say. "Pulver claimed that John continued to plead for Pulver to end his life. ... Pulver stated that he finally decided to do what John wanted."
Jeremy Pulver allegedly made other comments such as, "I wasn't wanting to kill the man, but I knew it was the right thing to do," as well as claiming that he "didn't think it was illegal at all."
Jeremy Pulver claims he lost consciousness at this point, and woke up to find his father still alive and asking his son why he hadn't killed him, according to the charges.
"(Jeremy) Pulver finally decided, 'I'm just going to do what he wants me to do, and I'm not going to think about it. I'm not going to hurt, I'm going to beat him and hurt him, and make him go out! And he'll suffer, and I did, and it sucked, and then I strangled him out and I cried, and then he ... left!'" Pulver told police, according to the charging documents.
"Pulver stated that he thought his brothers would be proud of him for what he had done," the charges state.
Police say when the father and son returned to the home, Jeremy Pulver "became enraged and made several attempts to kill the victim. When that was not successful (he) admitted he retrieved a hatchet and 'thumped' the victim in the back of the head several times. (He) then poured baking soda in the victim's mouth to make sure he was dead," according to the charges.
One of John Pulver's other sons told detectives that "he strongly doubts that John had any interest in dying. John had never been suicidal. (He) stated that when (Jeremy) Pulver used meth, he would act strange and was aggressive," according to the charges.
