DeBoer, who lives in Browns Canyon in Summit County, is the man who allegedly shot and killed 61-year-old Patrick Hayes at Jordanelle State Park in September.
He was arrested Monday, Dec. 23, and Wasatch County prosecutors charged him Thursday with one count of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.
In an arrest affidavit, investigators say DeBoer admitted to shooting Hayes and has claimed he acted in self-defense. The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office believes the two men were involved in a Sept. 25 road rage altercation near Kimball Junction on Interstate 80.
According to investigators, DeBoer followed Hayes, of Hideout, to the Jordanelle State Park’s Ross Creek trailhead around 11 p.m. There is video footage of Hayes getting out of his car and walking toward the Jeep, which pulled up behind him.
In November the sheriff’s office said before he was shot Hayes allegedly approached DeBoer’s Jeep Gladiator holding a metal baton and a pocketknife.
DeBoer drove away from the scene after the shooting. Hayes was found at 11 a.m. the next day, his car still running, the driver’s side door open and blinkers flashing.
Investigators initially suspected DeBoer’s involvement because cell phone data put him in the area around the time of Hayes’ death.
They say he admitted to burying the .45 caliber pistol near his house after the shooting, where deputies found it and the ammunition used in the shooting.
DeBoer was not arrested, nor charged, in connection with Hayes’ death. He is only suspected of obstructing the investigation because he buried the weapon that was used.
The charge is punishable by one to 15 years in prison or up to $10,000 in fines.
DeBoer’s initial appearance is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27. He is being held without bail at the Wasatch County Jail.
