The Cascade County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in the ongoing investigation into the Jan. 9 homicide of 25-year-old Terrell Johnson.

Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said that the investigation started around noon Jan. 9 with a report of a suspicious death in the 1700 block of 22nd Avenue South, just outside the city limits.

Investigators are asking for the public’s help in locating and tracking movement of Jonson’s vehicle, a red 2014 Chevrolet Cruze, particularly from Jan. 7 through about noon Jan. 9. He’s believed to have frequented downtown bars and investigators are seeking information as to his movements, associations or vehicle during that timeframe.

Slaughter said no suspect has been named but investigators were pursuing multiple leads.

He said more information may be released on Jan. 13.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Nick Allison at 406-836-0010 or nallison@cascadecountymt.gov.

Feeler

The deliberate homicide case against Dalton Feeler is scheduled to go to trial on Feb. 6.

During a Jan. 12 hearing before Judge Elizabeth Best, the parties discussed exhibits, jury instructions and evidence.

Feeler’s defense attorney, Dean Koffler, said he was critical of the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office investigation.

Feeler was charged with deliberate homicide for shooting and killing his father on Dec. 15, 2023 in Sun River.

Man charged with deliberate homicide in Sun River shooting [2023]

According to charging documents, Feeler was told on Dec. 15 that his fiancé had been raped by his father.

Feeler went to confront his father at his father’s house, bringing a handgun with him, according to court documents.

When Feeler arrived at the house, he gave the gun to his fiancé and got into a physical altercation with his father, according to court documents.

Two witnesses separated them and the father took the gun, loaded a round and threatened everyone, according to court documents.

Witnesses convinced Feeler to leave to deescalate the situation.

Feeler went outside and called 911 and at the same time, his father was threatening himself with the gun, according to court documents.

Witnesses got the gun away from the father and brought it outside to Feeler to unload, according to court documents.

The father came outside with a rusted sickle, taunting Feelers and they began fighting again until witnesses separated them, according to court documents.

Feeler went into the garage to retrieve his hat, believing his father had gone into the house, but found his father in the garage behind a locked door, according to court documents.

They began arguing again and the father opened the door.

Feeler shot his father four to six times with at least one bullet striking his father in the chest and he died at the scene, according to court documents.

Feeler unloaded the gun, sat it down, walked outside and told a witness he’d be waiting in the yard when law enforcement arrived, which is where he was when deputies arrived, according to court documents.

Feeler was taken into custody without incident and he and witnesses provided consistent versions of events, according to court documents.

Nguyen

The negligent homicide case against Ryan Nguyen, 19, for an early morning death in the Target parking lot on July 13 is scheduled to go to trial in April 2027.

The parties discussed the plan for the case during a Jan. 12 hearing before Judge John Parker.

Nguyen was not initially in the courtroom and his defense attorney, Jason Holden, said he hadn’t told his client to attend since he didn’t consider it a major hearing in the case.

The victim’s parents were in the courtroom and Parker said that considering the magnitude of the charges he wanted the defendant in the courtroom and recessed the hearing for about 45 minutes until the defendant could be present.

The defense and prosecution said they expected the trial to take about a week.

Holden said that he’d be filing a motion on the lack of probable cause for the case.

According to charging documents, 911 dispatchers received a call around 2:30 a.m. of a male with a gunshot wound to the head in the Target parking lot and when officers arrived they identified the deceased as Jackson Molnar, who was on the ground between two of three vehicles parked there.

Man charged with negligent homicide in Sunday morning shooting

Officers talked to Nguyen, Tyler Brigham, Maiyha Gutierrez, and John Rattlingtail who were outside of the vehicles.

“Nguyen made utterances that he shot Molnar,” according to court documents, and indicated that Molar wanted to see his gun.

Nguyen told officers that he was holding onto the gun and he was going to clear it when Molnar grabbed onto the
slide of the gun and pulled it towards himself. while Nguyen’s finger was inside of the trigger guard and the gun went off and shot Molnar, according to court documents.

Officers observed a gunshot to Molnar’s head and a pistol in the front passenger seat of Nguyen’s vehicle, a 2005 green Infiniti G35X, bearing Montana license plate, according to court documents.

The pistol had blood on it and the hammer was cocked and officers saw a fired bullet and casing in the backseat of Rattlingtail’s vehicle, a 2003 gold Mercury Grand Marquis, as well as an unfired cartridge on the ground on the passenger side of the vehicle.

Rattlingtail had a firearm in his waistband.

Brigham’s vehicle, a 2020 gray Toyota Supra was parked next to the Grand Marquis.

When officers arrived on scene, they found Molnar on the ground between the Infiniti and the Grand Marquis.

Nguyen and Brigham were standing on the passenger side of the Infiniti.

GFPD investigating Target parking lot shooting

Rattlingtail and Gutierrez were standing at the back of the Supra.

Officers saw alcoholic beverages inside and outside of the vehicles, according to court documents, and the men were all believed to have been drinking.

Nguyen had blood on his hands and Bringham, Gutierrez and Rattlingtail had blood on their clothing, according to court documents.

In an interview with investigators, Brigham said that he, Nguyen and Molnar were sitting in the backseat of the Grand Marquis showing their guns off. Nguyen was in the middle between himself and Molnar.

Brigham said they then all holstered their guns, including Nguyen, then Molnar asked to see Nguyen’s gun and Nguyen pulled it out, raised it up, and then Molnar said again, let me see that and grabbed for the gun and that is when he heard the shot, according to court documents.

Nguyen turned to Brigham and said “I just shot Jackson,” according to what Brigham told investigators, as included in court documents.

Brigham said he and Nguyen exited together out of the back passenger side door and went around the vehicle to the side with Molnar who had fallen out of the car and called 911.

Malmstrom Air Force Base officials confirmed that Nguyen is an active duty airman assigned to the base.

During his initial court appearance in July, Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki told the court they were recommending Nguyen’s release on his own recognizance into Air Force custody and had coordinated with base officials.

Racki said those conditions included that Nguyen be confined to base, and have no alcohol or firearms.

Master Sgt. Abraham Jara, the first shirt for Nguyen’s unit, said that those conditions were acceptable to the Air Force.

Judge John Parker’s order added GPS monitoring and a condition that he was allowed to leave base for the purpose of court appearances.

Malmstrom officials told The Electric that, “in a situation where an individual is turned over to a first sergeant’s custody by the local judicial system, it is for the member to be escorted back to base. The judge will determine the stipulations on the individual’s liberties, and the individual’s unit will then ensure that all stipulations are complied with.”