Slain German student may have been looking for alcohol

MISSOULA (AP) — Authorities say a 17-year-old German foreign exchange student who was shot to death in a Missoula garage was apparently looking for an alcoholic beverage when he wandered into a partially open garage and got killed.

According to court records made public Monday, Diren Dede and Ecuadorian foreign exchange student Robby Pazmino were out walking in the neighborhood when Dede entered Markus Kaarma’s garage on April 27. Pazmino told police he thought Dede was looking for alcohol.

Court documents say Kaarma and his wife claim they had been burglarized twice in the three weeks prior to the shooting. Kaarma allegedly told a hairdresser several days prior that he was waiting up to kill the intruders, whom he referred to as “kids.”

Kaarma faces one count of deliberate homicide in Dede’s slaying.