Elderly Man Caught Nearly 40 Years Later In Connection With Idaho Murder

According to the Idaho State Journal an 86-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly murdering a man in 1980. Walter James Mason is a former resident of Clayton, Idaho where the murder took place 40 years ago.

This is kind of a bizarre story. Allegedly Mason was causing at a stir at a bar in Clayton on September 22, 1980. Witnesses said he was seen verbally and physically abusing a woman who may have been his wife. That is when Clayton rancher Daniel Woolley and two other men got Mason to leave the bar and a fight ensued.

Mason allegedly then walked over to his vehicle where it is believed he pulled out two guns; a .22 caliber pistol and a .222-caliber pistol and fired off about six shots into the bar. Woolley was shot in the head with the .22.

Somehow Mason was able to flee the area and avoid capture by police for almost 40 years. Mason was found in Texas living under the alias Walter James Allison when he was arrested. Police did not divulge if Mason was arrested due to the suspicion of his crimes in Clayton or if he was wanted for other crimes. He is, however, looking at the potential of the death penalty.

If you know nothing about Clayton, that is because there isn't a lot to say. Driving through it you will see two gas stations and maybe a bar or two. I drove through it once and it is actually a beautiful little spot hidden near Challis. Mason is currently incarcerated in Rexburg with a $250,000 bond.