Jury selection begins in Montana killing of German teen
By Lori Grannis MISSOULA, Montana (Reuters) - Jury selection began on Monday in the trial of a Montana man who has admitted to fatally shooting a teenage German exchange student he believed to be a prowler in an incident that re-ignited international debate about U.S. gun laws. Markus Kaarma, 30, is charged with deliberate homicide in the death of 17-year-old Diren Dede of Hamburg, who authorities said was killed while "garage hopping" in Kaarma's Missoula neighborhood, apparently scavenging for alcohol. On the night of the shooting in April, Dede and an Ecuadorian exchange student, Robby Pazmino, approached Kaarma's open garage, and Dede entered, while Pazmino remained on the street, he told police in an affidavit. Alerted to the teens' presence by motion sensors and a video monitor, Kaarma walked outside and fired a shotgun four blasts into his darkened garage, killing Dede, according to prosecutors. Defense lawyers have said Kaarma, a U.S. Forest Service firefighter, feared for the safety of his family and acted in self-defense as Dede entered the attached garage of his home and advanced toward the kitchen. As jury selection opened on Monday, Kaarma, wearing a blue suit, sat stone-faced watching the proceedings from the defense table, accompanied by several members of his legal team. Opening statements in the trial are expected to begin on Thursday. If convicted, Kaarma would face a sentence ranging from 10 to 100 years in prison. German officials have expressed outrage at the killing, and Dede’s father suggested to a German news agency that U.S. gun culture was partly to blame for his son’s death. The case renewed scrutiny of a Montana gun law called the "Castle Doctrine" that allows the use of deadly force to defend against a home invasion if a person inside reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent an assault. A debate over the use of force under "stand-your-ground-type" laws has raged in the United States and elsewhere since the 2012 shooting death of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder last year. Dede had been staying with a host family two houses away while in Montana for a single school term. His parents arrived in Montana last week and were expected to attend the trial. (Additional reporting by Laura Zuckerman in Salmon, Idaho; Editing by Steve Gorman and Mohammad Zargham)
