Montana man pleads not guilty to shooting four people at a bar
A Montana man accused of killing four people at a bar and evading capture for a week has been charged with additional crimes, including attempted arson. Michael Paul Brown appeared in court on Wednesday, where State District Judge Jeffrey Dahood ordered him held without bail. Brown’s attorneys noted mental illness could be a factor in the case.
Court documents and statements from The Owl Bar owner David Gwerder indicate that Brown allegedly tried to ignite a bucket of flammable material using a cardboard pizza box as a fuse before returning shortly after with a gun to kill the bartender and three customers. Brown, 45, a former soldier who lived next door to the bar, faces charges of four counts of murder, attempted arson, theft, and eluding police. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Walter Hennessey, via video from jail in Butte. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty is pending. Brown is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 12.
Authorities said Brown fled the scene in a stolen truck, abandoning it several miles away before hiding in the forest near Anaconda, Montana, a town of about 9,000 people. He remained on the run for a week while law enforcement used helicopters, drones, and search dogs before apprehending him on Aug. 8 in a nearby unoccupied structure in Stumptown. Investigators are also looking into whether anyone assisted him while he was in hiding. The judge has kept much of the case sealed, and authorities have not revealed a motive. Brown had been a longtime patron of the bar and knew the victims, Gwerder said.
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