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The anti-government extremism of Lloyd Barrus and his son Marshall led to the May 2017 shooting death of Broadwater Sheriff's Deputy Mason Moore, who was shot dead during an unsuccessful traffic stop initiated by the two to pursue a "suicide mission."
Marshall was fatally wounded during a shootout with police following a high-speed car chase not long after he riddled Deputy Mason Moore with 20 bullets. Meanwhile, Lloyd was arrested and convicted on two counts of attempted deliberate homicide for a high-speed chase and shootout in addition to deliberate homicide by accountability.
According to reports, Lloyd Barrus is currently serving three concurrent life sentences in the Montana State Prison.
NBC Dateline is slated to revisit Deputy Mason Moore's killing in the line of duty in an all-new two-hour episode titled On a Dark, Deserted Highway. The upcoming episode airs on Friday, February 3, 2023, at 9.00 pm ET.
Marshall Barrus was fatally shot during a shootout following a high-speed chase, while Lloyd Barrus was arrested
Mason Moore, a Broadwater County Sheriff's Deputy, was killed in the line of duty in May 2017. His patrol car was riddled with bullet holes and covered in excessive blood.
According to prosecutors, in the early morning of May 16, Lloyd Barrus was driving when his son Marshall fired at Deputy Moore while attempting to pull them over for a traffic stop after the two were seen speeding on Highway 287 near Three Forks. The Barrus man allegedly provoked the officer for a traffic stop after talking about going on a "suicide mission" and speeding.
Moore was shot in the head by one of the three gunshots that pierced the car's windshield. The two perpetrators drove away but returned after a few minutes and fired another round - at least 19 more shots - into the fallen deputy's patrol vehicle, some of which likely struck the already mortally wounded officer.
The two men then escaped from the scene, leading to a high-speed car chase with authorities that lasted roughly 150 miles and ended only close to Missoula on Interstate 90. Following a shootout with the police that resulted in Marshall's death, Lloyd surrendered himself.
Lloyd Barrus was found guilty and sentenced to three concurrent life terms to be served at the Montana State Prison
In September 2021, Lloyd Barrus was found guilty of one count of deliberate homicide with two counts of attempted deliberate homicide for the murder of Deputy Mason Moore and the shots fired by his son at other law enforcement officers' vehicles.
Prosecutors claimed that Barrus and his son had intentionally provoked Moore to pursue them on Highway 287 because they both harbored anti-government views. Barrus' defense counsel argued that he should be kept in Montana State Hospital because of his delusional disorder and inability to understand the wrongness of his actions at the time.
Before Lloyd Barrus was deemed unfit to face trial, the prosecution sought the death penalty for him, which delayed the trial. Barrus was given antipsychotic drugs by injection following District Judge Kathy Seeley's instructions after he refused to take medication for his delusional disorder. However, in January 2020, the Montana Supreme Court upheld the mandated medication order.
In April last year, Lloyd Barrus was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the death of a Montana sheriff's deputy, Mason Moore, after District Judge Seeley sentenced him to three life terms to be served concurrently at the Montana State Prison.
NBC Dateline airs this Friday, February 3, 2023, at 9.00 pm ET.
