10 Dec Dan on Montana ‘Stand Your Ground’ Trial

Dan was on Good Morning America, Monday December 8th to discuss the case of a man who shot and killed a teenage exchange student who had entered his garage. Markus Kaarma is accused of baiting and shooting victim the victim, 17-year-old, Diren Dede. Jurors must decide whether Kaarma is protected under Montana’s “castle doctrine” which states that the use of deadly force is permissible to prevent felonies from being committed in one’s home or to protect against assault within one’s home. Kaarma is arguing that he was acting in self defense but testimony from neighbors is challenging this claim. Says Dan, “What you heard the hairdresser say is the most important thing in the context of this case. Including the potential for other witnesses. Why is that so important? Because if he was planning to do this, if he was looking to shoot kids, if he was setting a trap by putting a purse or something in the garage so that someone would come in and so that the alarm would get tripped and so he could then use his shot gun, there’s no question that that’s murder in the state of Montana. Called deliberate homicide. The question is, though, did that happen? Because he says that’s not the circumstances. And Montana does give homeowners a lot of leeway. “Watch the full clip here.