Attorney General’s office secures guilty verdict in Three Forks homicide

Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced Thursday that a Three Forks man, Zachary Eugene Norman, has been found guilty in Gallatin County District Court on one count of deliberate homicide.

The verdict follows Norman’s involvement in the murder of Chase Eastbrook in January 2022, occurring outside a residence in Three Forks subsequent to visits to several local bars. The judge ruled Norman guilty on one count of deliberate homicide with a weapons enhancement. However, Norman was acquitted of another deliberate homicide charge related to the death of Chase’s brother, Brendan Eastbrook, who prosecutors assert was defending Chase. Norman faces a potential sentence of up to 110 years in prison for the homicide conviction.

In July 2023, Norman was previously convicted on two counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence in the same case. Prosecutors are seeking an additional 10-year term for each of those charges.

The prosecution relied on testimony from over 25 witnesses and various pieces of evidence, including Norman’s clothing discovered in a bathtub, a double-stacked pistol seized from the Norman residence, which was linked to the wounds sustained by both victims, and video footage from multiple locations, to secure the verdict.

Assistant Attorneys General Jordan Salo and Mike Gee led the prosecution, with the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office spearheading the investigation, supported by the Bozeman Police Department and Special Response Team.

The sentencing hearing is slated for June 17.

By: Montana Newsroom staff