On April 27, 2014, 17-year-old Diren Dede, a German-Turkish exchange student from Hamburg, Germany, living in Missoula, Montana, was shot to death by Markus Kaarma.[1][2][3][4]

Incident

Dede entered Kaarma's garage late at night looking for alcohol; according to prosecutors, Kaarma had deliberately set out to attract and then shoot the burglar after having been the victim of several recent burglaries. [5] In December 2014, Kaarma was convicted of deliberate homicide,[5] a charge that is equivalent to first degree murder in other states.[6] He was sentenced to 70 years in prison and will be eligible for parole after 20 years of incarceration.[7][8] In February 2017, the Montana Supreme Court upheld Kaarma's conviction.[9] The United States Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal at the federal level as to whether his 6th Amendment rights had been violated and that he had not received an impartial jury.[10]

In July 2019, Missoula County District Judge Ed McLean, who retired shortly after presiding over Kaarma's trial, denied Kaarma's request for a new trial based on ineffective assistance of counsel, writing that Kaarma's attorneys had performed "...within the wide range of professionally competent assistance".[11]

Background

Montana's castle doctrine law was amended in 2009 allowing the use of deadly force if a homeowner "reasonably believes" an intruder is attempting to harm them. The amendment was sponsored by the U.S.'s biggest gun lobby, the National Rifle Association (NRA). Before the amendment, homeowners could use deadly force only if the invader acted in a violent way.[12]

Reactions

The case attracted national and international attention, particularly in Germany, Dede's home country.[1][13] Much of the attention focused on Montana's castle doctrine law, which Kaarma claimed justified his actions.[14] NBC's Dateline television series profiled the incident on an episode that originally aired on April 30, 2015.[15][16]

In response to the guilty verdict in the Kaarma case, the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a non-profit organization, released the following public statement from its Montana Chapter volunteer Julia Starrett.[17]

Today justice prevailed over senseless and unnecessary gun violence with the guilty verdict in the Kaarma trial. Seventeen-year-old Diren Dede’s death did not have to happen – and we know that unfortunately, there are laws on the books that embolden people like Mr. Kaarma to shoot first and ask questions later.

References

  1. 1 2 "Diren Dede: Man handed 70-year term for killing German". BBC US CANADA. February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  2. ↑ Staff (December 17, 2014). "Montana man convicted in German exchange student's death". CBS Interactive Inc. Associated Press. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  3. ↑ Grannis, Lori (Dec 5, 2014). "Girlfriend of Montana man accused of shooting teen recants statement". Reuters. United States. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  4. ↑ Coffin, Jackie (May 6, 2014). "Markus Kaarma Speaks Out on Diren Dede Shooting". Frankly Media. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Haake, Kathryn (December 18, 2014). "Markus Kaarma guilty of German student's homicide; parents will address court Thursday". Missoulian. Missoulian. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Montana Murder Law". FindLaw. 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  7. ↑ Staff (February 13, 2015). "Judge: 70 years for homeowner who 'hunted' intruder". USA Today. USA TODAY. Associated Press. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  8. ↑ Haake, Kathryn (February 14, 2015). "Kaarma to appeal murder conviction in exchange student's slaying". Missoulian. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  9. ↑ Dillon Kato (February 8, 2017). "Updated: Montana Supreme Court upholds Kaarma conviction". The Missoulian. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  10. ↑ Dennis Bragg (October 3, 2017). "Kaarma still has other paths for appeal". WRAL.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  11. ↑ Seaborn Larson (July 30, 2019). "Judge denies Kaarma's request for new trial". The Missoulian. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  12. ↑ Staff, US & Canada (May 1, 2014). "German student Diren Dede killed in 'castle doctrine' case - BBC News". BBC. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  13. ↑ Healy, Jack (May 7, 2014). "In Youth's Death, Some See a Montana Law Gone Wrong". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Father of Diren Dede, slain German exchange student, slams U.S. gun violence". CBC News. Associated Press. May 1, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Kaarma determined 'to put a stop' to burglars - NBC News". NBC News. NBC Universal Media, LLC. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  16. ↑ KC (April 30, 2015). "Kaarma/Dede Shooting Featured Tonight on Dateline NBC". 96.3 The Blaze. Townsquare Media, LLC. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  17. ↑ Starrett, Julia (December 17, 2014). "Statement from Montana Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America in Response to Markus Kaarma Guilty Verdict". Moms Demand Action. Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
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