DEER LODGE — A handyman and probationer has pleaded guilty to killing a 57-year-old Deer Lodge man and his 79-year-old mother during a confrontation over thousands of dollars in stolen silver.
Powell County Attorney Lewis Smith says 53-year-old David Wayne Nelson pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of deliberate homicide for the October 2015 deaths of Greg Giannonatti and 79-year-old Beverly Giannonatti.
Prosecutors agreed to dismiss a charge of theft and two counts of obstructing justice. They are recommending Nelson be given two concurrent sentences of life in prison.
District Judge Ray Dayton ordered a pre-sentence report and returned Nelson to the Powell County jail. A sentencing date has not been set.
Nelson confessed last November to stealing the silver, selling it for $26,000 in Missoula and killing Greg and Beverly Giannonatti during a confrontation over the theft. He led investigators to their bodies.