Montana News

Details emerge in fatal Fort Benton stabbing

Posted: Jan 29, 2013 12:06 PM by Heath Heggem - MTN News

FORT BENTON - Details are emerging in the stabbing death of a 21-year-old Fort Benton man.

Court documents filed in Chouteau County indicate Fletcher Courtnage-McKinsey was fighting with another man when he was stabbed by 25-year-old Casey Carlos.

The affidavit gives witness accounts of the fight inside the Pastime Bar, with one witness claiming while Courtnage-McKinsey and another man were fighting when Carlos approached the victim and struck him on the left side.

The witness says Courtnage-McKinsey started bleeding immediately after being hit.

The suspect admitted to stabbing the victim two or three times when questioned by authorities, and also gave a description of the knife, which was found by authorities near a street corner.

A medical examination of Courtnage-McKinsey revealed he suffered four wounds from the knife, two below the left armpit, one in the spleen area, and one in the left triceps.

Carlos will be arraigned on charges of deliberate homicide, assault with a weapon and tampering with evidence on Friday in Fort Benton.

Investigators also received accounts of the suspect's demeanor, with one man saying he was pushed by Carlos earlier in the evening. The bar owner, who reported seeing Carlos with a knife, says he was knocked down by the suspect.