Attorneys for a Montana man convicted of shooting and killing a German exchange student who broke into his garage are asking that his sentencing be delayed until the judge can rule on a motion seeking a new trial or a conviction on a lesser charge.
KTMF-TV reports state prosecutors immediately objected to the motion, arguing that the father of 17-year-old Diren Dede has already booked his flight to Missoula to for the Feb. 12 sentencing of Markus Kaarma.
Kaarma’s attorneys filed a request earlier this month for a new trial, citing extensive news coverage of the case. Alternatively, they argue that Kaarma should have been convicted of mitigated deliberate homicide, not deliberate homicide, because he was defending himself during the April 2014 shooting.
State prosecutors have not filed their response to the request for a new trial.