GREAT FALLS — A man who killed his girlfriend and himself in Great Falls had a history of assaulting the woman and was free on bond for allegedly violating the deferred sentence he received for a 2017 assault.
Cascade County officials say an investigation determined 56-year-old Michael Howard Willey of Lincoln shot 42-year-old Ronda Dee Ray at her home early Saturday before shooting himself.
The Great Falls Tribune reports Willey was arrested on April 16 for allegedly breaking Ray’s orbital socket and caving in her cheekbone in Lincoln. Court records said they had been in a relationship for about three years.
He posted bail, but was arrested on April 18 for violating probation. He was released on bond on April 25.
Willey was arrested May 8 for violating a no-contact order, but posted a $100,000 bond on May 16.