Montana Man Gets 20 Years in Prison for Fatal Shooting

KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — A Montana man who said he shot and killed another man because he had been sexually assaulted after overdosing on methamphetamine has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell reports 20-year-old Martin Chandler, of Coram, was sentenced Wednesday for the Feb. 14 death of 54-year-old William Melton. Chandler pleaded guilty in August to a felony charge of mitigated deliberate homicide.

He 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.

Judge Dan Wilson said Wednesday the “horrific” sexual abuse was a “clear mitigating factor” in the sentence.

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Information from: Daily Inter Lake, http://www.dailyinterlake.com