FILE 556 / 21 December 2024 / 73 MIN / express

Incurably Crazy Killer

Lewiston, IdahoListen

The town

N ↑Public placePublic placeTown centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

We're going to Idaho, northern panhandle Idaho, on the Washington border; Lewiston, Idaho is this town. The Nez Perce County Jail is named later. about 0:04:38

History, in brief

Town note

Believed to have been named after Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark.

about 0:05:12

Town note

Victor Trevitt came up with the idea of the name but chose Lewis rather than his own hometown of Lewiston, Maine, and did not tell anyone that was also his reason.

about 0:05:22

Town note

The town's two nicknames are L Town and River City.

about 0:04:34

Town note

About five hours from Boise and eight and a half hours from Idaho Falls, on the Washington border in the western panhandle.

about 0:03:44
All 6 history facts

Town note

Believed to have been named after Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark.

about 0:05:12

Town note

Victor Trevitt came up with the idea of the name but chose Lewis rather than his own hometown of Lewiston, Maine, and did not tell anyone that was also his reason.

about 0:05:22

Town note

The town's two nicknames are L Town and River City.

about 0:04:34

Town note

About five hours from Boise and eight and a half hours from Idaho Falls, on the Washington border in the western panhandle.

about 0:03:44

2023

The city's reservoir failed on January 18th, 2023, releasing 3 million gallons of water and causing flooding.

about 0:05:53

1987

Hot August Nights kicked off in 1987 as a way to bring the Lewis Clark Valley music and artists it had never had; a classic car show was added after the first few years' success.

about 0:09:14

The figures, as told

Money

Median home value$327,500
Median household income$60,581
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2024

Population

"33,964"

No direction stated.

As told in 2024 about 0:04:13

Median household income

"$60,581"

Comparison: "about $69,000 in the rest of the country". No direction stated.

As told in 2024 about 0:04:25

Median home price

"$327,500"

No direction stated.

As told in 2024 about 0:04:25

The reviews

3.0 / 5 · average of 3

5 stars

“First saw Lewiston at night coming from the north: the view down into the valley, the town lights and the river were incredible; the town mixes old brick buildings with new hip stores, the streets are clean and patrolled, and they would recommend it without hesitation to a couple starting a family.”
about 0:06:30

3 stars

“A retirement community with not much going on and a calm town they would not want to see change; not right for them, though a young person might like it.”
about 0:07:53

1 star

“A great place to start a militia or a meth lab; the town smells of rotten eggs and garbage because of the paper mill and composting plant, there is nothing but junk food, and everyone is obese (the reviewer at 190 pounds is skinny by Lewiston standards).”
about 0:08:29

In Idaho

Closest episodes

  1. A Messy Murder PlotKendrick, Idaho · 26 July 201735 km / 22 miShow on map
  2. Insane In The BrainMoscow, Idaho · 25 February 202338 km / 24 miShow on map
  3. Talkative Serial KillerKellogg, Idaho · 15 May 2025143 km / 89 miShow on map
  4. The Projection Transfer TheoryLa Grande, Oregon · 21 January 2023146 km / 91 miShow on map
  5. The Zombie Apocalypse Has BegunCoeur d'Alene, Idaho · 4 August 2022146 km / 91 miShow on map

The story

Small Town Murder Express episode 556 goes to Lewiston, Idaho, in the western panhandle near the Washington border, about five hours from Boise. The town of 33,964 has two nicknames, L Town and River City, and is believed to have been named after Meriwether Lewis; Victor Trevitt, who suggested the name, kept quiet that he was also honouring his hometown of Lewiston, Maine. Its reservoir failed on 18 January 2023, releasing three million gallons of water. The hosts read a five-star review praising the view from the north, a three-star review calling it a quiet retirement community, and a one-star review calling it a great place to start a militia or a meth lab and complaining about the smell from the paper mill and composting plant.

Brian K. Elliott was born in Lewiston on 16 June 1959 to Alfred and Betty Elliott, one of four brothers. He lived just across the border in Washington state and worked at Paulucci's shoe and clothing store on Main Street, where his boss Jack Paulucci called him a good worker. After each discharge he stopped taking his outpatient medication and became aggressive.

On 29 June 2002 the store was busy. At about 2 p.m. Elliott told his colleagues he was going upstairs to check on something. He refused to give his name, spoke nonsensically and called himself Dump Truck, and voluntarily committed himself to the fifth-floor psychiatric unit. At 4 p.m. Bill Lee went upstairs and found Elliott's decapitated body at the top of the stairs, his head lying beside it. A trail of blood ran from the apartment to the hospital and bloody footprints lined the hallway, which was later sealed as a biohazard.

He said he had been drinking beer and taking Benadryl while watching television when he began hearing voices, that Elliott was the mark of the beast, and that he cut off his head with a knife and then mutilated the severed head to stop it talking. He wrote down that he was following the instructions of Melcerdak, and said he heard God tell him to finish Elliott off. Police found the knife in a shrub at Third Avenue and Sixth Street in Pioneer Park.

Two psychiatrists diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder.

The case

Murder of Brian K. Elliott

Victims

Brian K. Elliott (43). Born June 16th, 1959 in Lewiston to Alfred and Betty Elliott; one of four brothers; lived just across the border in Washington state; worked at Paulucci's shoe and clothing store

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 21 December 2024.

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Jack Paulucci. owner of Paulucci's shoe and clothing store and the apartments above it
Pizzi Paulucci. Jack's wife, who worked at the store
Bill Lee. Elliott's co-worker who found the body
Carla David. postal worker who delivered the mail to the store and the upstairs apartments
Dave Elliott. Brian's brother
Betty Elliott. Brian's mother
Alfred Elliott. Brian's father, dead by 2002
Mr Chapman. defence attorney appointed to represent
Mr Van Eater. defence attorney appointed to represent
Jack Baldwin. Lewiston police chief
Barrington Eugene Searcy. man who challenged Idaho's ban on the insanity defence in 1990

The timeline

  1. June 16th, 1959 Brian Elliott is born in Lewiston to Alfred and Betty Elliottabout 0:12:44
  2. June 7th, 2001 is involuntarily committed in Idaho for mental health problems and is held until August 2ndabout 0:25:11
  3. October 25th, 2001 is committed again and held until January 15th, 2002about 0:25:19
  4. March 1st, 2002 is committed for a third time and held until March 20thabout 0:25:26
  5. April 2002 moves into the apartment above Paulucci's shoe store after Elliott persuades the owner to rent to him (apartments above the shoe store)about 0:16:57
  6. June 29th, 2002, 2 p.m. With upstairs in his apartment, Elliott tells staff he is going up to check on something (Paulucci's shoe and clothing store)about 0:28:47
  7. June 29th, 2002, 3 p.m. Covered in blood and with a gash on his hand, walks into the emergency room (St. Joseph Regional Medical Center)about 0:29:40
  8. June 29th, 2002 voluntarily commits himself to the fifth-floor psychiatric unit, refusing to give his name and calling himself Dump Truck (St. Joseph Regional Medical Center)about 0:31:08
  9. June 29th, 2002, 4 p.m. Bill Lee goes upstairs and finds Elliott's decapitated body at the top of the stairs, his head lying beside it (top of the stairs)about 0:31:59

Places and phrases

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Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode