Accused killer bound over for trial

ATHOL — The case of a Bonners Ferry man accused of shooting his girlfriend in the head while she was driving has been bound over for trial.

Victor A. Claus, 55, is charged with first-degree murder. If convicted, Claus could face the death penalty.

He remains in jail on $1 million bond.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office responded April 13 to a report of a multi-vehicle crash on U.S. 95, near Athol.

Melyssa L. Schloe, 45, was reportedly traveling northbound in a Toyota Tundra when she crossed the center line and sideswiped a motorcycle and another vehicle. Police said Claus was a passenger in Schloe’s vehicle.

Before the crash, another motorist called 911 to report a possible “rolling” domestic dispute between Claus and Schloe, according to police reports.

The impact of the crash caused the second vehicle to roll twice, injuring the driver, who was transported to Kootenai Health with non-life threatening injuries.

Schloe was pronounced dead at the scene, while Claus was transported to the hospital.

A witness said he saw Claus cradle Schloe’s face, as if to kiss her, before he got out of the wrecked vehicle.

Claus then allegedly shook Schloe violently for several seconds and said, in a harsh voice, “Wake up, b—.”

Witnesses said Claus’s demeanor changed when first responders arrived. Claus reportedly covered his face with his hands and cried that Schloe had shot herself.

Though Schloe lived in Garden Grove, Calif., she regularly traveled to Idaho to stay with family in Sandpoint.

Her mother said in court last week that Schloe’s state of mind was positive in the days before her death.

Schloe and Claus had been dating for less than a month after meeting online, police said.

Claus was reportedly in the process of divorcing another woman. He told police he and Schloe were arguing about his divorce when she grabbed his handgun off the dashboard, where he said he always kept it, and shot herself.

In court, Claus’s estranged wife said he always kept his gun in the center console of his vehicle and never left it on the dash.

She also said Claus called her a week before the shooting and indicated that Schloe was eager for the divorce to move forward.

Dr. Jennifer Nara of the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office said Schloe died from a gunshot to the right side of her head.

Nara said she found no evidence on Schloe’s body of soot or stippling, a pattern of gunshot residue burned into the skin that results from close proximity to a discharged firearm.

Soot and stippling would be expected in the case of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police said no gunpowder residue or blood spatter were found on Schloe’s hands, which was inconsistent with a close-range gunshot wound.

An autopsy reportedly indicated that the barrel of the gun was at least 18 inches away from Schloe’s head when it fired.

Police obtained a warrant for Claus’s arrest and took him into custody April 16, after he was released from the hospital.

Claus is next expected to appear in court in late June.