Jury poised to begin deliberations in murder trial

THOMPSON FALLS — Jurors hearing the murder case of a Northwest Montana woman accused of shooting her ex-boyfriend in May 2018 are expected to begin deliberations sometime Thursday.

State attorneys rested their case against Danielle Jeanette Wood, 56, of Polson, early Wednesday afternoon while the defense opted to call no witnesses.

Wood is on trial for the murder of Matt LaFriniere of Thompson Falls. The two had a child together and were in an ongoing custody battle.

Prosecutors claim Wood shot LaFriniere three times with a .38 caliber handgun during the evening of May 2, 2018, at his home.

Defense attorney Greg Rapkoch asked District Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher to dismiss the case.

“I think asking the jury to try and sort it out is problematic because the state provided evidence that someone else did it,” Rapkoch said.

State prosecutor Dan Guzynski argued against the motion and Judge Christopher agreed with him.

“There is a great deal of circumstantial evidence and there is a lot of evidence Mr. Stobie was helping Ms. Wood and not helping her, but I’m going to leave it to a jury to decide,” Christopher said.

Drew Michael Stobie is Wood’s former boyfriend and the man she was dating at the time of LaFriniere’s death.

He testified Wednesday morning, saying he only learned Wood bought a handgun after the death of LaFriniere.

Stogie is a Sanders County native who moved back to the Thompson Falls area to help take care of his ailing parents and their farm. He also knew the victim from childhood because their fathers did business together related to the logging industry.

Stobie said he met Wood at a Super Bowl party and they began dating a few months later.

He was questioned by Guzynski about Wood’s purchase of a .38 caliber handgun.

“She never indicated any interest in buying a gun,” Stobie said. “She had an interest in shooting and went a few times with me to my target range on the hill.

“She never said she bought a gun before Matt’s death. Shortly after he died, I was at her house, Danielle came to me and said ‘by the way, Drew, I bought a handgun.’

“My heart just sank,” Stobie said. “I asked her why she wouldn’t tell me. She said some of her Pampered Chef friends told her she should have some protection. She then said she threw it in the trash. This was two or three days after Matt died.

“I was livid she hadn’t told me. I couldn’t understand the mentality of someone who would throw a new gun away,” Stobie said. “I would have liked to have the gun or we could have sold it.”

Stobie said when Montana Department of Criminal Investigations agent Kevin McCarvel talked to him if Wood had a gun during a May 10 interview, he said “no.”

“I then told him she told me she bought a gun and threw it away,” Stobie said. “That didn’t go over well with the agent. I may have been trying to protect her, but I loved her. It was a very serious matter, but I still believed in her at the time.”

Guzynski asked Stobie if he killed LaFriniere and the witness said “I most certainly didn’t. I’d have no reason to kill him or anyone else.”

Rapkoch cross-examined Stobie and asked him about a cellphone purchase.

“I had a Tracfone I bought at the old Walmart in Missoula. She never bought a phone for me, but she did put minutes on my phone,” Stobie said.

LAFRINIERE’S FATHER, George, also testified. He explained how Matt married a woman named Chris many years ago. He said the woman had two children WITH other men, but when they married, he adopted the children. He said the woman eventually left Matt and the kids with him.

“My son, my friend, in a lot of ways, was my hero,” George LaFriniere said. “He was helpful and dependable, a wonderful father and son. He had a great work ethic, he stayed until it was done.”

He also said his son left “a job he loved at the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office to go to ACE (Hardware) so he could be at home with [his and Wood’s daughter].”

Karen Knutson, a friend of Matt LaFriniere, said she knew of the troubles between him and Wood.

“He said he just wanted Danielle to quit drinking because it was making her life worse and it could be so much better if she didn’t drink,” Knutson said.

She said the day after LaFriniere’s death, she went to Wood’s home in Thompson Falls.

“She was very nonchalant about it. She wasn’t mean, though,” Knutson said. “I told Danielle she had to quit drinking because Matt was gone now. She said she hadn’t drank in two years.”

Attorneys will give their closing statement and the jury will receive their instructions before deliberating.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com or at 406-758-4441.