Man sentenced for offering to kill 'for a small fee'

GREAT FALLS — A 54-year-old Great Falls man has been sentenced to three years on probation after a woman said he repeatedly offered to kill her ex-husband “for a small fee.”

Shawn Smith was convicted of one count of soliciting to commit assault with a deadly weapon. District Judge Julie Macek gave him a three-year deferred sentence on Tuesday.

The woman told investigators in January 2013 that she was talking about buying Smith’s house on a contract for deed because her ex-husband was living in their house and her name was still on the mortgage. She told Smith her ex wasn’t paying child support.

She said Smith told her that people like her ex-husband “don’t need to exist” and offered to lend her a weapon. She said he later offered to “take care of him.”