Mother Assisted Son in Concealing Deceased Girlfriend in Bathtub, Authorities Report

A Minnesota woman is now facing serious legal consequences, accused of assisting her son in the wake of a tragic incident involving his girlfriend. Pamela Breckenridge, 50, has been charged with three felony counts of aiding an offender following the death of Nichole Shoultz, 40. Shoultz’s death occurred after a car crash on May 2, involving Breckenridge’s son, Allen Alberts, 33, who was also Shoultz’s boyfriend.

Reports indicate that instead of seeking immediate medical attention, Alberts allegedly took Shoultz to his residence, where he kept her in a bathtub. Shoultz later died from her injuries. Authorities argue that Breckenridge bears partial responsibility in the incident. A no-contact order was in place against Alberts, and police suggest that fear of incarceration prompted him to avoid taking Shoultz to the hospital.

According to a criminal complaint accessed by Law&Crime, deputies from the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office were called to the hospital where Shoultz was declared deceased. During interviews, both Alberts and Breckenridge reportedly provided conflicting accounts that did not align with the evidence. Upon further questioning, they admitted to lying, with Breckenridge stating that Alberts wanted to avoid legal trouble.

Breckenridge initially told investigators she was present at the residence she shared with Shoultz on the evening of May 1, emphasizing that Alberts was absent to adhere to the no-contact order. She claimed Shoultz departed in Alberts’ truck around midnight. However, phone records contradicted this, revealing several calls between Breckenridge and Alberts during the early hours of May 2.

The complaint notes that Breckenridge later said she located the truck but not Shoultz. After eventually finding her, she contacted Alberts to help bring Shoultz back home. Breckenridge described attempts to assist Shoultz, including performing a chest rub in a bid to revive her, though she admitted these efforts were unsuccessful. She also stated she used a stethoscope to check Shoultz’s breathing, which she claimed appeared normal at the time.

According to the complaint, Breckenridge claimed that she found the truck, but could not find Shoultz. She eventually did claim to find Shoultz, then called Alberts to help bring her back to their house. Breckenridge told police that she and Alberts tried to help Shoultz, saying, “We do the whole chest rub, trying to see if that will do anything. Um, nothing we were trying was working.” She said she used a stethoscope to listen to Shoultz’s breathing, which she claimed was normal.

When police asked Alberts about what transpired that night, he said he and Shoultz had a fight after leaving a bar around 2 a.m. After he claimed Shoultz punched him and tried to take control of the steering wheel, he pulled over and got out of the truck. She then drove off without him, and Alberts told police he saw the truck “go over a hill” before he heard a crash. He went back to his house to get his car so he could bring Shoultz back to their house. Alberts said she was “unresponsive but breathing.” He told police he placed her in the bathtub “in hopes of waking her.”

Alberts called for his mother to come over at 3:20 a.m. to help him move Shoultz to the living room couch. Alberts told police that Shoultz was “unresponsive the entire time.”

While still at the house, police said Alberts and Breckenridge “considered” calling 911, “but he was concerned” about violating the no-contact order and chose not to call.

Alberts was charged with second-degree manslaughter and is still in custody at the Otter Tail County Detention Center, where he is being held on $500,000 bond. His next court date is scheduled for May 18.

Breckenridge was charged with three counts of aiding an offender and booked into the Otter Tail County Detention Center on May 8. She did not appear on the jail roster on Tuesday. Her next court date is scheduled for June 3.