UPDATED: Homicide Victim Detailed History of Domestic Violence in Court Filings

A Whitefish man is suspected of murdering his estranged wife, their 3-year-old daughter and another man on the morning of Tuesday, June 30, the same day the couple was due in court to resolve an ongoing divorce proceeding that included allegations of repeated domestic abuse.

According to Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino, Kameron Barge, 39, entered a home in Olney in the early morning hours of June 30 and stabbed 42-year-old Emily Barge, who went by Emily Mohler and was in the process of changing her name, as well as 3-year-old Piper Barge and 41-year-old Cody Nevins to death.

Barge and Mohler’s 8-year-old daughter was also in the home at the time of the killings but escaped to a neighbor’s house, where the neighbor called 911. Deputies from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the home around 7 a.m. Barge’s vehicle was discovered about a mile from the crime scene where he was found nearby, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Heino released a statement on Wednesday calling the murders a “heinous crime.”

“Our thoughts and prayers go to the family,” he continued. “This has shocked our staff, our community and has left more questions than answers. I ask that the community support the family. The loss of any loved one is hard, but the loss of a child and a family is unexplainable.”

Mohler had filed for three orders of protection against her husband in the last year, alleging a sordid history of verbal and physical abuse, and a permanent order of protection was in place at the time of her killing, Heino said. Heino added that his office has had previous contact with the couple related to domestic violence. Mohler and Barge were scheduled to appear in Flathead County District Court at 1:30 p.m. on the day of the homicide for a hearing on the dissolution of their marriage.

In a petition for a temporary order of protection filed on May 26, Mohler accused her husband of physically assaulting her in front of the couple’s two children one day earlier. In the attack, Barge allegedly grabbed Mohler’s hoodie, twisted it tightly around her neck and threw her to the ground. He then told Mohler he was “going to murder (her) this summer” and that she “had no idea the wrath he was going to inflict on (her).”

In the May 26 filing and prior petitions, Mohler outlined a litany of other allegations from her and Barge’s years together, including that Barge had fractured her skull, that he had attempted to rape her, and that he had once killed the couple’s kitten by throwing it against a wall. She also accuses Barge of “years and years of verbal abuse.” The couple was married in 2014. Mohler filed for divorce in August 2019.

Mohler worked as a photographer and goldsmith, and her family has deep roots in the Flathead Valley.

Two fundraisers have been set up to benefit those left behind by the murders. A fundraiser for Emily Mohler’s family (https://www.gofundme.com/f/emily-mohler039s-childrens039-fund) had raised more than $31,000 as of July 2 and a second fundraiser was established for the family of Cody Nevins: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-emily-piper-and-cody.

If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic violence, the Abbie Shelter operates a 24-hour crisis helpline at (406) 752-7273. Additional information can be found at www.abbieshelter.org.