Family and loved ones put together a memorial for Patrick Hayes near the Ross Creek area of the Jordanelle after he was shot by Greg Kyle DeBoer in September of 2024. Photo: TownLift // Marina Knight

Family members describe DeBoer as "unhinged" in Wasatch County search warrant

PARK CITY, Utah — As the arraignment approaches for Greg Kyle DeBoer, the 63-year-old Summit County man, who fatally shot Patrick Hayes, of Hideout in September 2024, unsealed court documents are revealing a more detailed picture of the suspect’s character and the early course of the investigation.

The unredacted search warrant, written by Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office Detective Hayden Walker, states that investigators initially treated the case as a homicide investigation. DeBoer is now charged with obstruction of justice and is expected to enter a plea on Nov. 5 in Wasatch County court, even though the obstruction of justice charge happened in Summit County.

“An actor commits murder if: a) the actor intentionally or knowingly causes the death of another individual,” the warrant states.
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It wasn’t until January 2025 that Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby announced his office would not pursue homicide charges, citing insufficient evidence.

The warrant, sealed from November 2024 until May 2025 “to protect the integrity of the investigation and the personal safety of those who provided information,” details how detectives came to focus on DeBoer — and includes statements from acquaintances who described concerns about his behavior.

Tip leads investigators to DeBoer

According to the documents, on Oct. 1, 2024, detectives received a tip from a citizen who suspected his former friend, Greg DeBoer, might be connected to the killing. The informant said DeBoer lived in the Browns Canyon area, near where Hayes’s body was discovered off SR-228 near the entrance to Ross Creek State Park, and that he “regularly carries a firearm and drives a Jeep Gladiator.”

According to the warrant, the source described DeBoer as a “hot head” whose “mental state had been rapidly declining” over the previous year or two. The man told investigators DeBoer’s business had been struggling, he was “financially suffering,” and had become embroiled in a bitter legal feud with his mother and brother over her estate.

Family describes “unhinged” behavior according to the warrant

Detectives later spoke with DeBoer’s brother, Douglas, who confirmed that Greg habitually carried a Kimber 1911 handgun chambered in .45 ACP — the same caliber as the bullet recovered from the victim, the warrant said. Douglas specifically mentioned that Greg used Winchester Black Talon rounds, noting he had been with Greg at a gun show in the 1990s when he purchased both the firearm and ammunition.

“They don’t make those rounds anymore,” Douglas told investigators, adding that given how little Greg practiced shooting, “he would still have them today.”

In the warrant, Douglas described Greg as “very irritable,” with “no sense of shame, guilt, remorse, or empathy.” He also recounted that Greg had “no formal firearms training” but carried a gun daily and had once placed a firearm on his lap during a confrontation with neighbors, saying he was “ready to do whatever he had to do.”

The warrant states Douglas referred to his brother as “unhinged,” and that Greg had previously threatened suicide when his marriage ended but was “more inclined to intimidate others” according to the document.

“He acts like a 60-year-old bad ass street fighter,” Douglas said, in statements cited in the warrant. “Physically his body and back are shot, so he won’t fight — I’m not surprised Greg would resort to his handgun.”

Victim’s attorney: “It raises questions about safety”

Jim Bradshaw, an attorney representing Hayes’s family, said the level of detail in the unsealed warrant — particularly from those close to DeBoer — is “remarkable and unusual.”

“It’s unusual for people that close to a suspect to be that honest and forthcoming,” Bradshaw said. “Those comments raise significant questions about community protection for someone with that kind of reputation. There’s no question he’s known for carrying weapons around, and there’s no question he killed Pat Hayes.”

From suspicion to search

Following those interviews, detectives obtained a warrant to search DeBoer’s Browns Canyon property, where they ultimately recovered the .45-caliber Kimber pistol that investigators identified in court documents as the weapon used in Hayes’ death buried in his backyard.

DeBoer has maintained through court filings that he shot Hayes in self-defense, later leaving him on the roadside. Hayes’s body was found near his vehicle, triggering a joint investigation between Wasatch County and the Utah State Bureau of Investigation.

DeBoer was initially booked on suspicion of murder before the charges were reduced to obstruction of justice. His arraignment is set for Nov. 5, when he is expected to enter a plea. DeBoer has not been convicted of any crime related to the incident.

Editor’s note: The controversy surrounding the arrest of DeBoer, his self defense claim and Wasatch County’s decision not to pursue a murder charge will be covered in a forthcoming TownLift story.