I don't know what happened in the case exactly. But I don't know what baiting has to do with it.
Shooting for theft is either justifiable or not. The circumstances of the thefted property are irrelevant to me.
I don't know all the fine points either but supposedly there had been a number of these garage thefts in the area and the police took a ho hum approach to the whole theft thing. So Kaarma set a trap for the kids by putting stuff inside the garage and leaving the garage door open to entice the kids to walk in and steal stuff usually beer. When he heard somebody in the garage he opened fire without identifying his target. According to the news reports and what has come out of the trial he supposedly bragged to his neighbors he was going to do this and allegedly was on pot at the time of the shooting.
If the papers are even 1/32 right Kaarma set himself up for his own fall. The only good thing I can see with this is that with a Republican House and Senate in Montana and now a conviction it will be harder to overturn Montana's castle doctrine.
I agree with this (don't faint Derb
). What sets this case apart is that there was evidence that Khaarma (sp?) sought an opportunity for a confrontation in which he was fully armed and ready to rock. The evidence of possible baiting (deliberately leaving the garage door open and a purse inside with statements to neighbors of the plan---if in fact that was the evidence) really took the legs out from under his claim that he was in fear of his safety or that of his family. (You don't "set-up" and invite a confrontation while simultaneously claiming you're in fear of your life from that confrontation).
The leftists in Montana (which is what, about half the state now?
) want badly to do away with the Castle Doctrine, but in reality this case showed that the Castle Doctrine worked, i.e., the jury did not buy the defense argument made in reliance on the Castle Doctrine. Of course, this assumes the jury got it right, but on the facts I've been able to ferret out of the very one-sided media coverage, it appears the jury did get it right. Frankly, though, I'd have preferred a Voluntary Manslaughter conviction over deliberate murder.
My .02 worth.
Jordan
P.S. What the &*^*&(*% you Montana boys doing letting all those libs take over your state. You boys seriously ^&%&%^'d up.
