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Woman Arrested in Connection to Mysterious Coram Shooting

Sheriff’s Office conducted a search warrant in Evergreen on Thursday as part of investigation into Feb. 14 homicide

By Justin Franz
Sheriff's vehicle. Beacon file photo

The investigation into a fatal shooting on Feb. 14 has led to two more arrests for unrelated criminal acts, including a mysterious shooting in Coram last month.

On Thursday afternoon, officers with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Kalispell Police Department executed a warrant on a home on South Cedar Drive in Evergreen as part of the ongoing investigation into the shooting death of 54-year-old William Melton. The Coram man was allegedly shot and killed by 19-year-old Martin Chandler who has been charged with deliberate homicide.

Liena Lynne Griffith and Joseph Daniel Fox were both arrested at the home.

Griffith was arrested in connection with a shooting at a Coram home last month and has been charged with criminal endangerment.

According to Sheriff Brian Heino, deputies responded to a report of gunfire at a Coram home on Jan. 18. When they arrived they spoke to a woman who said that she was sleeping on the couch when she awoke to see two individuals standing in the doorway. The two individuals allegedly fired a gun in the direction of the woman and then fled the scene. The woman on the couch was not injured in the shooting. Heino said evidence was found Thursday connecting Griffith to the shooting.

Fox was charged with burglary and theft after a number of stolen items, including a motor vehicle, were found at the Evergreen home.

Heino said drugs and guns were also discovered during a search of the home.

The arrests are the latest following an extensive investigation into the Feb. 14 shooting in Coram. Heino said while that crime was relatively simple to solve, it gave detectives leads in a number of other cases. During the course of the homicide investigation, law enforcement discovered two “one pot” meth labs: one inside the home where the shooting happened and another in a vehicle. A “one pot” meth lab enables someone to produce small amounts of the drug in a single container, usually for personal use. Heino said additional arrests are possible in the coming days and more charges are likely.

According to charging documents, Chandler had entered a home in Coram early on the morning of Feb. 14 and began arguing with Melton about meth. Chandler pointed a gun at Melton and shot him in the chest before fleeing the scene. Chandler was apprehended soon after in Columbia Falls. Chandler is currently being held on $250,000 bond in the Flathead County Detention Center.