Hubber, Jaeger to be tried together in Butte homicide case

MIKE SMITH

Two men accused in the shooting death of a homeowner during a botched bounty hunt in Butte will be tried together on charges of deliberate homicide and aggravated burglary.

After several, separate trial dates for Nicholas John Jaeger and bondsman Jay Steven Hubber were postponed, prosecutors asked District Judge Robert Whelan last month to consolidate the cases before one jury.

Palmer Hoovestal, an attorney for Hubber, agreed to the request but wanted a May 1 trial date for his client postponed until the fall. Jaeger’s attorney, David Maldonado, agreed to combined trials at first, then objected, then recently agreed again.

“Defendant apologizes for the confusion in his position on the consolidation,” Maldonado wrote in a recent motion, saying Jaeger “now stipulates and agrees to the consolidation of the cases.”

People are also reading…

After a status hearing Tuesday with prosecutors and attorneys, Whelan consolidated the cases and set the jury trial for Monday, Oct. 2. It is expected to last eight days or longer.

Jaeger was set for trial on April 10 but it was postponed indefinitely when Maldonado broke his leg and sustained other serious leg injuries the previous Friday.

Prosecutors said

View Source