A 47-year-old Creston man has entered a guilty plea in the shooting death of his girlfriend in March.
Robert D. Kowalski entered an Alford plea to mitigated deliberate homicide during a hearing Monday in District Court in Flathead County.
Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges that sufficient evidence exists to convince a jury of his guilt.
In exchange for the plea, the county attorney’s office dismissed deliberate homicide charges and will recommend Kowalski be sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Lorraine Kay Morin was shot in the face and killed on March 16, 2008. After the shooting, prosecutors say Kowalski fled to his home. He was arrested the next day after a 31-hour armed standoff with law enforcement officers.