Montana man accused of killing mom held on $1 million bail

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Montana man accused of killing his mother with a kitchen knife pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide Wednesday and had his bail set at $1 million.

Beau Daniel Papin, 20, is accused of killing his mother at her apartment in Billings on Monday. A police statement had said they lived together, but Deputy Yellowstone County Attorney Arielle Dean said Papin had been homeless and staying on people's couches, the Billings Gazette reported.

Public defender Natasha Hammack asked that bond be set at $500,000 because Papin could not afford any amount of bail and would likely remain behind bars.

Dean recommended the $1 million bail and called Papin an "extreme threat to the community."

Standing Master Molly Rose Fehringer said the amount was appropriate given the nature of the allegations.

In separate cases pending in Yellowstone County District Court, Papin is accused of assaulting a taxi driver after refusing to pay the fare and of swerving at an off-duty police officer who was trying to diffuse a conflict between him and a couple on a motorcycle who said Papin had been "trying to run them over for no apparent reason," the Gazette reported.

Papin also is accused of strangling his grandfather. In addition, he has five pending misdemeanors, Dean said.