A Polson woman has been arrested and charged with murdering her ex-boyfriend in May 2018.
Danielle Jeanette Wood has been charged in Sanders County District Court with deliberate homicide in the death of Thompson Falls resident Matthew George LaFriniere. The case is being prosecuted by the Montana Department of Justice.
According to court records, LaFriniere was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds at his Thompson Falls home on May 3, 2018. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement discovered that Wood and LaFriniere had a child together and a “strained” relationship with each other.
During a search of Wood’s home soon after the murder, police found a receipt for a .38 caliber handgun purchased in March, the same type of weapon used to kill LaFriniere.
During the course of the investigation, Wood told law enforcement that she had received texts from LaFriniere via a “strange” number. That number was later connected to a Tracfone that, according to cell tower data, was near Wood’s own phone in May 2018. Cell phone tower data showed that both Wood’s phone and the Tracfone were at LaFriniere’s home in Thompson Falls the night of murder. That same night, an “anonymous female” called 911 from the Tracfone to report that she heard a “boom” near Thompson Falls and stated that “she did not wish to get involved” before hanging up.
Law enforcement talked to multiple people who confirmed that Wood and LaFriniere had a tumultuous relationship. Police interviewed one man who dated Wood and said the woman had asked if he would “take out” LaFriniere more than three years ago.
Woods is currently being held on $1 million bond.