Billings Area News

MT man suspected of shooting his father enters plea

Posted: Mar 8, 2013 8:10 PM by MTN News

BILLINGS - A man who is accused of shooting his father in the back has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Brandon Jay Joseph White, 23. appeared by video in Yellowstone County District Court Friday morning and entered "not guilty" pleas for four felony counts, which include three different counts of assault with a weapon and one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

Court documents say around 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29, White shot his father, 52-year-old Walter White. The dispute was apparently over a $10,000 debt Brandon White owed his father.

The 23-year-old allegedly waited outside of his father's Lockwood auto body shop that morning and opened fire.

Investigators say a woman, who was not hurt, was in the car with Walter White. Walter White returned fire, and was treated for the gunshot wound at Saint Vincent Healthcare.

Authorities took White into custody more than a month after the incident after he was found at a motel in Laurel. In an attempt to disguise the car he drove the day of the shooting, White spray painted his vehicle.

During his arraignment, White claimed he wasn't trying to hide from law enforcement, but from his father.

White's trial is set to take place on July 22. His bond was set at $150,000.