Kalispell Man Pleads Not Guilty to Homicide in Apartment Complex Shooting
Kaleb Anthony Hilliard, 21, is accused of killing a Eureka teen and wounding two others outside a party; trial is set for Feb. 22
By Maggie Dresser
A 21-year-old Kalispell man accused of killing a Eureka teenager and wounding two others in an early morning shooting Oct. 13 at a Kalispell apartment complex has pleaded not guilty to one count of deliberate homicide, two counts of attempted deliberate homicide and one count of criminal endangerment, all felonies.
Kaleb Anthony Hilliard entered the pleas Thursday in Flathead County District Court before Judge Heidi Ulbricht. He is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on $1 million bond. His trial is scheduled for Feb. 22, 2027.
According to charging documents filed Oct. 15 by Deputy Flathead County Attorney Lenore Bushey, Kalispell police responded at about 1:15 a.m. to the PJ Rentals apartment complex on Seventh Avenue West North for a report of a disturbance with a weapon. They found multiple people had been shot outside a party. The documents do not name the victims.
Witnesses at the scene identified Hilliard as the shooter. They described escalating tension between him and his girlfriend over the evening of Oct. 12 and into Oct. 13, including alleged abusive behavior, suspicions of infidelity and a possible breakup.
According to the documents and surveillance video, Hilliard returned in his vehicle to the complex, where his girlfriend was spending the evening with friends. Two men approached the driver’s side window, and Hilliard produced a firearm and shot them, along with another resident. Three other people, including his girlfriend, were standing near the rear of the vehicle.
Hilliard then accelerated and drove away, dragging his girlfriend along the pavement, according to the documents. The video shows one of the men he shot returned fire as he sped off.
A 19-year-old victim, identified by the Flathead County coroner as Anthony A. Williams, died at the scene of an apparent gunshot wound to the chest despite officers’ life-saving efforts. A second victim had apparent gunshot wounds to the abdomen and elbow, and a third had an apparent gunshot wound to her right shoulder. Hilliard’s girlfriend suffered road rash across her body and head injuries.
Officers found Hilliard in bed at his Kalispell home. His mother, who was there, told police her son had said the shooting was related to his girlfriend’s infidelity. In an interview, Hilliard told officers he went to the party to retrieve his girlfriend. He admitted pointing and firing his weapon at people standing by his window, saying they were threatening him and he feared for his life.