Man Says He Was Sexually Assaulted Before Fatal Shooting

KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — A Montana man says he shot and killed another man because he had been sexually assaulted after overdosing on methamphetamine.

The Flathead Beacon reports 20-year-old Martin Chandler, of Coram, pleaded guilty Thursday to mitigated deliberate homicide in the Feb. 14 death of 54-year-old William Melton. Chandler is scheduled to be sentenced in September.

Prosecutors say he shot Melton in the chest during an argument over drugs. But Chandler testified that on at least one occasion, Melton purposely made an extra potent dose of methamphetamine that left him unconscious. Chandler says he later learned one or more people might have sexually assaulted him when he was passed out.

He was initially charged with deliberate homicide but struck a deal with prosecutors.

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Information from: Flathead Beacon, http://www.flatheadbeacon.com