BUTTE — The homicide case involving a Butte bondsman is now in the hands of a jury.
The prosecution and defense delivered closing arguments on Thursday before the 12-member jury in which bondsman Jay Hubber and his assistant, Nicholas Jaeger, face charges of aggravated burglary and deliberate homicide.
Jaeger is accused of shooting William Harris in his Main Street home the evening of Dec. 19th, 2021. Prosecutors claim the pair was reckless when they barged into the home and caused the death of the homeowner.
The defense claims, as a bounty hunter, Hubber had the right to make an arrest, and that the shooting was done in self-defense.
“It's a huge tragedy, but don't make it anything worse ... Don't make it anything worse. Find these men not guilty. Find Jay Hubber not guilty of all charges,” Hubber’s attorney Palmer Hoovestal told the jury.
Deputy County Attorney Ann Shea told the jury, “Bill Harris was an innocent victim who was sitting in his own home, who was needlessly and violently killed by the deliberate actions of these two defendants.”
The jury also has the option of convicting Hubber on a lesser charge of deliberate homicide by accountability.
