Court Notes: Murder trial begins in Carlton

A jury trial for a Wisconsin man accused of shooting and killing his uncle began Monday in Carlton County Sixth District Court.

James Francis Montano, 34, of Bayfield County was arrested in April 2018 in Carlton County for shooting his uncle, 57-year-old Andrew James Gokee, and injuring Gokee’s son, 38-year-old Hudson Gauthier, Montano’s cousin. Montano faces charges of first-degree premeditated murder, attempted premeditated first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and assault in the second degree.

Gauthier testified much of Monday, then Montano’s father, Michael, took the stand Tuesday.

The statements of Michael Montano and his nephew, Gauthier, differed on several points, with the the elder Montano testifying that he never heard any shots or saw any gun that night, according to the Duluth News Tribune.

Lead counsel for the defense Nichole Hopps and second chair Joanna Wiegert argue that the evidence indicates that Gauthier shot his father.

“The evidence is coming in the way we anticipated,” Wiegert said Tuesday night.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Matthew Frank, Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola and Assistant County Attorney Jeffrey Boucher.

Testimony in the case is expected to last through at least Friday morning, with closing arguments coming later that day or Tuesday, Jan. 21, because the courts are closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Montano could face life in prison if convicted.