At approximately 1:15 p.m. Wednesday the jury in the Markus Kaarma trial returned a unanimous verdict of guilty of the charge of deliberate homicide brought by Missoula County prosecutors.
MTPR's Christopher Allen was at the courthouse and reports "a mix of cries and smiles" in the courtroom after the verdict was read.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 11.
Kaarma shot and killed 17-year-old Diren Dede on April 27 when he found the exchange student from Hamburg, Germany in his garage in the pre-dawn darkness. Kaarma fired four shots from a shotgun.
His defense team argued that the violent response was justified by Montana's "Castle Doctrine," a law that allows the use of deadly force in defense of one's self, others or "an occupied structure." They said he was feeling unsafe after two previous burglaries of his garage.
Prosecutors said the doctrine did not apply in this case because Kaarma appeared to be luring someone by leaving a purse and other objects in his garage, that he was in effect setting a trap with the intent to hurt someone.
We'll have more details here as they come in, and in on the radio during our regular afternoon newscasts at 5:04, 5:32, 6:04 and 6:32.
