GREAT FALLS — A man who pleaded no contest in the beating death of another Montana man has been sentenced to 40 years in jail.
District Court Judge Elizabeth Best said Friday that the sentence was appropriate for the 2016 death of 60-year-old Bradley Boland in Great Falls.
Brett McDermott entered his plea to the charge nearly a year ago. The Great Falls Tribune reports that Friday’s sentencing decision was delayed by hearings to consider McDermott’s repeated complaints about the court process.
McDermott’s attorneys have argued that their client was mentally ill but he was found fit to stand trial in early 2017 after being evaluated at the state psychiatric hospital.
McDermott’s attorneys asked for a 10-year jail sentence and therapy. McDermott on Friday said he was “very sorry.”