This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 55-year-old Carbon County man was arrested on suspicion of murder Tuesday after police found his brother's decomposing body in a bedroom sealed with duct tape and plastic inside their mobile home.
Kurt Alan Morris was booked into the Carbon County jail on suspicion of criminal homicide.
Carbon County sheriff's Chief Deputy Tom Stefanoff said police were called to the mobile home at 1711 Carbonville Road near Helper on Tuesday after neighbors spotted a hose running from the exhaust pipe of a truck into the mobile home.
A deputy came to the home and saw the vehicle was still running. After no one answered the door, the deputy went inside to find Morris on the floor.
Medical units were called to treat Morris, Stefanoff said, while deputies searched the rest of the home to see if anyone else was inside.
During the search, Stefanoff said deputies found a bedroom door that had been sealed with plastic and duct tape. Once they were able to pull the tape down and open the door, they found Jack Roger Morris, 50, inside with a gunshot wound to the head.
The man had been dead for at least a week, Stefanoff said. He said it appeared Kurt Morris was attempting suicide when deputies arrived. Kurt Morris was treated and released from the hospital. He was in good condition but told deputies he was suffering from cancer.
Kurt Morris then was taken to the sheriff's office for an interview, and was subsequently booked into jail.
Stefanoff would not divulge whether Kurt Morris admitted to killing his brother but said Morris was being "cooperative." Stefanoff would not discus Kurt Morris' alleged motive or any other evidence indicating Morris was responsible.
Kurt Morris initially told jailers his name was Michael Morris; investigators later learned that was a pseudonym, Stefanoff said. Stefanoff would not disclose whether Michael is Kurt Morris' nickname or whether he was attempting to provide false identification.
"It's all being investigated," Stefanoff said.
Formal charges are being screened with the Carbon County Attorney's Office.
Twitter: @jm_miller