BUTTE — A jury is expected to hear closing arguments in the case involving a Butte bondsman and his assistant accused in a 2021 fatal shooting after the defense rested its case on the seventh day of testimony.
Nicholas Jaeger took the stand as the final witness for the defense and claimed he shot William Harris in self-defense after Harris lunged toward him with some sort of blade in his hand the evening of Dec. 19, 2021.
Jaeger was backing up bondsman Jay Hubber in arresting David Sandavol who was at Harris’ home. As Hubber wrestled with Sandavol, Jaeger testified he grabbed Hubber’s handgun after Harris started kicking Hubber. Jaeger shot Harris twice after he claims the victim made a threatening move toward him.
The prosecution alleges Hubber and Jaeger illegally entered Harris’ home and used aggressive tactics that ended up getting an innocent man killed. Both men face felony charges of aggravated burglary and deliberate homicide. The jury has the option to find Hubber guilty of a lesser charge of deliberate homicide by accountability.
The defense argued Hubber had the right of a bondsman to enter the home to make an arrest. They described the home as a “trap house” with a reputation as a place where illegal drug use was common, and the two men were defending themselves in a dangerous situation.
Next, the prosecution and defense are expected to deliver closing arguments to the jury before they go into deliberation.
