The suspect in a double homicide near Plains tried to set himself on fire prior to his arrest in Hot Springs on Oct. 31, authorities say.

Neil Morris, 48, allegedly poured gasoline inside the cab of his parked truck just a few blocks from where revelers were celebrating Halloween, according to court documents filed in Sanders County Justice Court.  

Morris had fled the scene of a shooting earlier that night at 65 Prairie Lane near Plains that left 41-year-old Erik Tarelle Jameson and 63-year-old Linda Lynn Purdy dead, according to authorities. Diana Lopez, 26, suffered several gunshot wounds and is being treated at Logan Health Medical Center in Kalispell, according to court documents. 

Hot Springs Police Chief Eric Larson was on duty when dispatch relayed over the radio that a shooting suspect was headed toward the community. Larson later spotted a black Nissan Frontier parked on the grass of Hot Springs City Park that matched the vehicle description. 

Morris poured gasoline around the cab and tried to ignite it with himself inside, said Hot Springs Fire Chief Randy Woods, who is also the town's mayor. However, the windows were rolled up and the flames died due to lack of oxygen.  

The suspect got out of the vehicle and lit a fire in the cab from where he stood, but the flames spread to his pants, according to court documents. He dropped to the ground and rolled around to smother the blaze while Larson grabbed a fire extinguisher from his truck and called for backup. The police chief ordered the public to clear the area as the fire grew to 6 feet in diameter.  

Upon Larson's return, he saw a woman had stripped off her clothes and was attempting to smother the flames with the material, according to court documents. Morris allegedly told Larson he was armed and had tried to kill someone.  

The police chief held him at gun point until backup arrived. After cuffing Morris, Larson allegedly found a semiautomatic gun in his hooded sweatshirt. He also saw an empty gun holster on Morris' hip, according to court documents. 

LOPEZ TOLD detectives that she, Jameson and their four young children met Morris when they moved into the Prairie Lane home in mid-August, according to court documents. Purdy, the grandmother of Lopez and Jameson’s children, was the homeowner, and Morris lived in one of the rooms, according to state and court records. 

 She said Morris, who struck her as paranoid, often carried a black pistol on his hip.  

Woods told the Inter Lake that Morris had recently been hired as a Hot Springs Public Works employee and moved to the area from California. He'd occasionally complain about his living situation, Woods said, like how he couldn't shower after everyone went to bed or had to wait to use the kitchen, but that was the extent of it.  

"He was a nice guy," Woods said. "I never saw it coming." 

In the week leading up to the shooting, Morris's paranoia increased, Lopez stated in court documents. He slept in his truck the night before the shooting, something he "had never done before," according to court documents. 

On Halloween, Morris left the home between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. to work at a haunted house in Hot Springs. Woods said he saw him there in a Dracula costume. He appeared in good spirits. 

"He was laughing and having a good time," Woods said. 

Morris came home between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. and went to his room as Lopez and Jameson were getting ready for bed with their two youngest children, according to court documents.  

Lopez and Jameson were in their bedroom with the children when Morris threw open the door about 30 minutes later, according to court documents. He fired a gun at them from the doorway as Lopez hid under the covers, and Jameson tried to shield the children and herself with his body, according to court documents.  

Morris only stopped when he turned to shoot Purdy as she passed behind him in the hallway, court documents alleged. He then allegedly turned back to shooting at the family. 

Lopez said one of her older children may have seen their grandmother get shot.  

Another elderly resident in the home during the shooting hid in a bedroom, according to court documents.  

A PRELIMINARY hearing is scheduled for Morris on Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. before Judge Douglas Dryden in Sanders County Justice Court. He is being held at the Sanders County Detention Center on two felony counts of deliberate homicide and one felony count of attempted deliberate homicide with bail set at $1 million. 

An online fundraiser has been set up for Lopez and her four children by family friend Caylynne Lapp on GoFundMe. According to a post on the fundraiser, Lopez is returning to Oregon with her children, according to a post on the fundraiser site.  

"She wants to start over somewhere familiar, closer to support," Lapp wrote. "Somewhere she can begin putting the pieces of her life back together." 

Report for America Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support. 

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