ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOZEMAN – A Montana man
accused of killing his estranged wife and critically injuring one of her
roommates was convicted Dec. 10 of multiple charges.
Jurors in
Gallatin County found Joseph “Paul” DeWise guilty of deliberate homicide in the
January 2018 death of Lauren Walder DeWise and guilty of attempted deliberate
homicide for shooting Ashley Van Hemert. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb.
4.
Joe DeWise,
17, testified earlier that he was with his father when he drove to Belgrade and
shot the women. He also said his father ordered him to get rid of the murder
weapon and he discarded it at a pond near their house, where it was located.
Natalie
DeWise, 19, testified that her father confessed to killing Lauren DeWise when
he woke her up to go to church the next morning. She also said her father
called her from jail and asked her to convince her younger brother to confess.
Witnesses
testified to physical abuse in the relationship, while defense attorney Annie
DeWolf told jurors the family was happy. “There was no abuse,” she said.
