Teen pleads not guilty to homicide

An Evergreen teen has pleaded not guilty to two counts of deliberate homicide in connection to an automobile collision that killed a pregnant Columbia Falls woman and her son.

Justine Winter made the plea Friday in Flathead County District Court.

The 17-year-old Evergreen resident is still on house arrest. She must transfer to an electronic home-monitoring system by Aug. 27, according to court documents.

Judge Katherine Curtis on Aug. 5 ruled that Winter would be tried as an adult. Her defense attorneys had requested that the trial be held in youth court.

The trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 27.

Winter is accused of driving her car into oncoming traffic in March 2009 in an alleged suicide attempt. The crash killed 35-year-old Columbia Falls resident Erin Julie Thompson and her 13-year-old son, Caden Vincent Odell. Thompson was four months pregnant.

The collision occurred minutes after Winter was engaged in a text message conversation with her boyfriend and made references to killing herself, according to court documents.

Winter, then 16, was southbound on U.S. 93 between Kalispell and Whitefish at about 8:30 p.m. on March 19, 2009, when the collision occurred. The investigation revealed that Thompson was traveling at about 30 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone when her vehicle was struck by Winter’s Pontiac Grand Am. Winter was traveling at about 85 mph, according to court documents.

Winter has filed a lawsuit against Thompson’s estate and the contractors and construction company that were working on the stretch of highway. She claims it was Thompson who crossed the centerline.

Reporter Eric Schwartz may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at eschwartz@dailyinterlake.com