State v. Billedeaux

¶1 Following a jury trial in the Twenty-second Judicial District Court, Michael Billedeaux was convicted of deliberate homicide (felony murder) and sentenced to forty years in Montana State Prison. He appeals his conviction, alleging that the District Court improperly denied his motion for a directed verdict, improperly instructed the jury and improperly denied his motion for a new trial. We affirm the rulings of the District Court on all issues raised.

BACKGROUND

¶2 On the evening of November 14, 1997, hours after getting married, Richard Whistling Elk (Whistling Elk) was attacked in the…