MISSOULA — A judge has issued a written order denying a new trial for a man who shot and killed a German high school student who was trespassing in his garage in Missoula.
Markus Kaarma was sentenced to 70 years in prison for deliberate homicide in the April 27 killing of 17-year-old Diren Dede of Hamburg, Germany. The Missoulian reports Kaarma argued before his sentencing that impartial media coverage created a prejudicial jury pool and, in turn, tainted the verdict.
But District Judge Ed McLean ruled March 6 that media coverage “did not thwart the judicial process,” and the jury honored its oath to decide the case fairly and impartially.
Last month, McLean verbally denied Kaarma’s motion for a new trial.