The Cascade County Sheriff/Coroner said on Tuesday that an autopsy was conducted on Monday on 54-year old Jason Feeler at the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula.
Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said that based on the results of the autopsy, the cause of death was determined to be several gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was listed as homicide.
(1st REPORT, DECEMBER 18) Dalton Lawrence Scott Feeler, 28 years old, is facing a charge of deliberate homicide for the shooting death of his father Jason Feeler in the Sun River area west of Great Falls on Friday, December 15, 2023.
Court documents state that Dalton believed that his father had sexually assaulted an acquaintance of Dalton, and confronted his father at his father's house.
When he arrived, Dalton handed a gun to the acquaintance. Dalton and his father began fighting, and witnesses separated the two, and Jason then got the gun, loaded a round, and threatened everyone. The witnesses convinced Dalton to leave.
According to the charging documents, Dalton went outside and called 911. At the same time, Jason began threatening to shoot and kill himself. Witnesses got the gun away from Jason and took it outside for Dalton to unload it.
Jason then came outside carrying a rusted sickle, and began taunting his son. The two began fighting again and witnesses again separated them.
Dalton, believing that Jason had gone back in the house, went to the garage to retrieve his hat, according to court documents, and realized Jason was in the garage behind a locked door.
They began arguing, and Jason unlocked the door.
At that point, Dalton shot Jason between four and six times, according to court documents. Jason died at the scene.
Dalton then unloaded the gun and set it down; he told a witness that he would be waiting in the yard when law enforcement officers arrived.
When officers arrived, they arrested Dalton without incident.
The court documents state that witnesses and Dalton provided consistent versions of what had happened.
Prosecutors requested that bail for Dalton be set at $500,000, noting that Dalton had gone to the house while armed, had fought with Jason several times, and "was not worried for his safety" when he shot his father. He also reportedly did not claim self-defense when interviewed by officers.
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