Murder case ready for jury
Defense attorney Jack Quatman is silhouetted against a graphic interpretation of the Aug. 27 shooting in the stairway at the home of Larry Roedel. The characters are representations of shooter positions; the lines represent bullet trajectories. The graphic was displayed Wednesday during Roedel’s trial. Chris Jordan/Daily Inter Lake
Larry Roedel is accused of shooting his common-law wife in August
The jury is expected to begin deliberating this morning in the murder trial of Larry Roedel.
He is accused of shooting his common-law wife, Dawn Thompson, at their Ferndale home in August. Although he admits he shot her, Roedel maintains the shooting was in self-defense and accidental.
Thompson died of a gunshot that entered her upper back. Three shots were fired from the .357-caliber gun that killed her. Prosecutors say Roedel fired all three. Roedel's initial defense was that Thompson shot twice at him, he took the gun and it accidentally discharged. Later, he said he fired all three shots.
Roedel did not testify at his trial. He is represented by attorney Jack Quatman of Whitefish.
The state's case consisted mainly of forensic evidence.
After prosecutors Ed Corrigan and Lori Adams rested their case Wednesday, Quatman called a forensic chemist from the state crime lab in Missoula. Annalivia Harris said she tested samples taken from Thompson and Roedel for gunshot residue. The residue components of lead, barium nitrate and antimony sulfide were found on both their hands.
There were more particles of reside on Thompson's hands than on Roedel's she found.
However, she testified that finding gunshot residue on someone's hand does not mean that he or she has fired a gun. Other possible explanations exist for how the material wound up on Thompson's skin: Residue can remain airborne for 10 hours after a gun is shot, or it could have transferred from Roedel when he held Thompson's hand after the shooting.
Quatman also called a neighbor of the couple's, who contradicted other neighbors' memories of hearing the shooting.
The first couple testified that they heard three shots in rapid succession, which would align with the prosecution's contention that Roedel blasted three shots at Thompson as she was walking down some stairs.
Neighbor John Nelson, though, said he was awakened by something and then heard two gunshots. They were from 10 to 30 seconds apart, he said, which gives Roedel's story credibility. On cross-examination by Corrigan, however, Nelson said he "wasn't too coherent" when he woke up that night.
This morning, the jury will hear legal instructions from District Judge Kitty Curtis. The attorneys will make closing statements, and the jury should have the case by noon, Curtis said.