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Judge Denies Bail Reduction for Man Accused of Homicide at Libby Campground

A Lincoln County judge kept the bail for longtime Kalispell attorney Garry Seaman, who is charged with three felonies, at $25 million

By Maggie Dresser

A Lincoln County District Court judge has denied a bail reduction motion for 63-year-old Garry Seaman, a longtime Kalispell attorney who allegedly shot his ex-partner and employee, causing serious injuries, and fatally shot her male companion at a Libby-area campground in May.

Judge Jason Marks at a Aug. 5 bail hearing kept the amount at $25 million with all prior terms and conditions remaining in place following testimony by the surviving shooting victim.

Seaman pleaded not guilty to felony charges of deliberate homicide and attempted deliberate homicide after prosecutors allege he went on a jealous rampage, following the two victims to a Libby-area campground and shooting them both multiple times. Seaman also pleaded not guilty to a felony count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. His pleas were entered at a June 6 arraignment hearing in Lincoln County District Court before Judge Matthew Cuffe.

Seaman’s Missoula-based defense attorneys requested that his bail be reduced to $1 million and assured the court that Seaman would wear a GPS monitor, his firearms would be removed from his possession and the propeller would be removed from the defendant’s airplane.

Attorneys Nick Brooke and John Smith wrote in their Aug. 4 brief that the $25 million bail “may be the highest ever imposed in Montana, and more than double the highest amount ever imposed in either the Fourth or Nineteenth judicial districts. The only purpose for such a number would be to make it impossible for the Defendant to post bail.”

According to the brief, his attorneys stated he has no criminal record or mental health history and has practiced law in northwest Montana since 1986. His family members include a brother, an adult son and a minor son.

Prior to the shooting on April 25, the victim was denied a temporary order of protection in Flathead County Justice Court. According to documents, she had recently ended a 15-year relationship with Seaman, writing that he was heavily armed, stalking her, tracking her cell phone, and that she did “not feel safe anywhere near him.” Flathead County Justice of the Peace Paul Sullivan issued the denial notice stated that “the information submitted does not support the conclusion that you are in danger and that the circumstances require the court to act without notice to the other party.”

According to the woman’s statement in the petition, she described harassment following her decision to break off their relationship, resulting in a request for civil-standby assistance from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.

Less than a month later, Seaman was arrested on deliberate homicide and attempted deliberate homicide charges for allegedly gunning down the woman and her male companion.

According to charging documents, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the Libby Volunteer Ambulance crew arrived at the Alexander Creek Campground near the Libby Dam at around 2:47 p.m. on May 21, where authorities found the deceased man, who likely died from gunshot wounds to his torso, and the injured woman, who also had multiple gunshot wounds.

First responders rendered medical aid to the injured woman and transported her to a nearby rendezvous site, where a helicopter transported her to a hospital.

At the scene, the still-conscious woman identified the suspect as Seaman, who had fled the scene, along with his vehicle. Lincoln County investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Seaman and brought him into custody the following day.

Authorities booked Seaman in the Lincoln County Detention Center on May 24 without bail following a transfer from the Flathead County Detention Center, where he was booked the day after the shooting. He remains in custody.

Seaman is scheduled to appear for an omnibus hearing on Sept. 9 at 9 a.m. He is scheduled to go to trial in November.

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.