Montana public records are governed by the Montana Public Records Act. Access court filings, arrest records, and jail rosters from counties across Big Sky Country.
Jailhouse informant case arising at Great Falls Regional Prison. Inmate Robert Gardner (serving 50 years for deliberate homicide) contacted Great Falls detectives after cellmate Old-Horn disclosed he had acted as a confidential informant and held info on the unsolved murder of Harold Mitchell, Jr. Old-Horn offered information through Gardner hoping Gardner would receive a sentence reduction. District Court suppressed Old-Horn's statements as involuntary (belief of immunity); Montana Supreme Court affirmed new trial and suppression.
Tyler Shane O'Brien, Logan Patrick Berkner, Roger Cantrell charged with felony tampering with witnesses or informants (or intimidation) over October assault at Cascade County Adult Detention Center; max 10 years/$50,000. Victim believed assault aimed to stop him testifying, wearing a wire, or being a 'snitch' due to August case. Cantrell implicated in prior jail assaults and has pending tampering charge for directing another not to testify during recorded jail call. Cantrell in custody on multiple charges.
Burkhart convicted of 2001 homicide of William LeDeau in Great Falls based on single witness; conviction overturned after Montana Innocence Project found post-conviction jailhouse informant told police another inmate confessed to killing LeDeau with motive, info never disclosed to defense. Another testifying witness later said he lied. Cascade County prosecutors declined to re-try (Jan). Burkhart had 2006 prison riot conviction and 2010 attempted deliberate homicide charge. Legislative hearing Jan 29, 2019 on wrongful conviction bills.
Montana Senate committee heard bills on vacating convictions for new non-DNA evidence and reliability hearings for incentivized witnesses. Richard Burkhart (exonerated of 2001 Great Falls homicide of William LeDeau) testified he was convicted on single witness; post-conviction jailhouse informant told police another inmate confessed; info never disclosed. Cascade County prosecutors declined re-trial. Law enforcement/prosecutors opposed bills citing impact on CI investigations.
Donald DuBray appealed homicide conviction; in 1997 Detective Cameron received info from a CI that DuBray committed homicide while in prison for rape. DuBray sought jury instruction on informant testimony (money/escape punishment/personal advantage) and disclosure of CI identity; district court refused; Montana Supreme Court found cautionary instruction given and no disclosure required since CI did not testify. Cites State v. Grimes (1999 MT 145) on jailhouse informants. (Statewide; informant principles applied in Montana courts.)
Court records and a 1985 LA Times report describe James Dean Cochrum, an Orange County Jail inmate who informed on at least five fellow inmates, including Adolpho Aguirre and Elliott Beal, claiming to overhear confessions in separate murder cases. Jail informants testified in more than 100 major Orange County cases over five years.
HuffPost reported that Oscar Moriel, a Delhi gang member who admitted to at least six killings, signed an informant agreement with Orange County law enforcement in July 2009 and served as a key informant for 2.5 years, testifying in two high-profile murder trials and a Mexican Mafia crackdown case. Audio from Superior Court records requests revealed officers recruited him.
San Diego County Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein found Orange County prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh committed misconduct using jailhouse informant Jeffrey Platt to elicit statements from Paul Gentile Smith, convicted in 2010 of killing Robert Haugen in Sunset Beach. The conviction was overturned in 2021; a retrial is pending.
Court filings in the Brandon Price habeas case allege San Diego County DA's office used Jarius Bush as a serial jailhouse informant across multiple gang murder cases, including James Carter, Darius Days, Lamar Long, and Jamar Phillips. Bush was moved cell-to-cell at investigators' behest and received a sentence reduction after testifying.
Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens testified in a 2017 hearing about the department's use of jailhouse informants in the Scott Dekraai mass shooting case. Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders alleged a decades-long operation violating defendants' rights by using snitches to elicit confessions, including concealed TRED records.
HuffPost reported that jailhouse informant Daniel Timms alleged Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives ordered him to create false testimony against rap mogul Suge Knight in the Compton murder case, and that similar tactics were used in other LA County cases. The DA's office dismissed the claims.
Montana Supreme Court decision (Sept. 9, 2025) affirming denial of postconviction relief; defendant alleged improper use of information by incarcerated (jailhouse) informants and prosecutorial misconduct. Missoula County Fourth Judicial District.