A 51-year-old Hungry Horse man who pleaded no contest to fatally shooting his wife has been sentenced to 80 years in prison.
Charles Smith was sentenced Thursday for the death of his 46-year-old wife, Jody Smith.
“I think justice demands that you spend a substantial period of time in the state prison,” District Judge Stewart E. Stadler told Smith at the hearing.
Smith called 911 on Dec. 9 and told dispatchers he had shot his wife, according to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office. He surrendered to authorities on the porch of his home in Hungry Horse.
Inside, deputies found the body of Jody Smith, who had been shot with a pistol several times in the chest and abdomen. Authorities said alcohol was involved, and the shooting occurred after an argument.
Smith initially pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide but changed his plea in May to no contest. He said then that he wanted the case to be over.