State Supreme Court to hear case at Montana State on April 22

BOZEMAN - In observance of National Law Day, the Montana Supreme Court will hear oral arguments at Montana State University next week on the appeal of a deliberate homicide conviction that resulted in a 100-year sentence without the possibility of parole for a Polson woman in 2021.

The introduction to the oral arguments begins at 10 a.m. Monday, April 22, in the Strand Union Building, Ballroom A, and arguments will follow from 10:30 to 11:30. The proceedings are open to students and the public.

MSU pre-law adviser Sara Callow, who teaches an introductory course on American government in the Department of Political Science in the College of Letters and Science, said Law Day is held annually to celebrate the rule of law in a free society.

"It is a really exciting opportunity to hear the highest court in Montana hear a court case live," she said. "This is an important part of our system of government that we don't often have easy access to, especially at the highest level."

The arguments set for Monday pertain to the case of Danielle Wood, who is incarcerated in the Montana Women's Prison in Billings for killing Thompson Falls resident Matt LaFriniere in 2018. Wood was accused of shooting LaFriniere three times with a .38-caliber revolver and using a burner cellphone to divert suspicion from herself. She was convicted after an 11-day jury trial and sentenced to 100 years without the chance of parole.

There are two issues before the Montana Supreme Court. First, the state relied on expert testimony regarding Wood's cellphone location while she was using a TracFone, a type of burner or prepaid cellphone. Wood objected to this evidence, and the court will determine if the expert's testimony is reliable.

Second, Wood was charged with both deliberate homicide and accountability for deliberate homicide. Because the state never named an accomplice but instead argued that Wood personally killed LaFriniere, the court will determine whether the jury should have been instructed on accountability.

Wood, who was 56 when she was convicted in January 2021, has maintained her innocence. At the time of LaFriniere's death, he and Wood had been in a years-long custody battle over a child they had together.

Law Day at MSU is sponsored by Pre-Law Advising at the office of University Studies, the Office of Student Engagement and the Montana Bar Association.