Bail Hearing for Man Convicted of Shooting Exchange Student

A bail hearing is set for a western Montana man convicted of killing a 17-year-old German exchange student who was trespassing in his garage.

A Missoula County jury found 30-year-old Markus Kaarma of Missoula guilty of deliberate homicide in the April 27 death of Diren Dede. Kaarma had been free on a $30,000 bond pending his trial, but was jailed after his Dec. 17 conviction.

Wednesday's hearing will determine whether Kaarma can be released from jail while awaiting his Feb. 12 sentencing. A deliberate homicide conviction calls for a sentence of between 10 and 100 years in prison.

Kaarma's attorneys have said they plan to appeal the conviction. They argued at trial that Kaarma had the legal right to use deadly force to protect his property and family from intruders.