On April 27, 2014, 17-year-old Diren Dede, a German exchange student of Turkish origin from Hamburg, Germany living in Missoula, Montana, was shot to death by Markus Kaarma. Dede had entered Kaarma's garage late at night looking for alcohol; according to prosecutors, Kaarma had deliberately set out to attract and then shoot a burglar. In December 2014, Kaarma was convicted of deliberate homicide for the shooting. He was sentenced to 70 years in prison and will be eligible for parole after 20 years of incarceration.
Montana's so-called "Castle doctrine" law was amended in 2009 allowing the use of deadly force if a homeowner "reasonably believes" an intruder is attempting to harm them. The amendment was sponsored by the U.S.'s biggest gun lobby, the National Rifle Association (NRA). Prior to the amendment, homeowners could only use deadly force if the invader acted in a violent way.
The case attracted national and international attention, particularly in Germany, Dede's home country. Much of the attention focused on Montana's stand-your-ground law, which Kaarma claimed justified his actions. This popularity led NBC's Dateline television series to profile the incident on an episode, that originally aired on April 30, 2015.
In response to the guilty verdict in the Kaarma case, the 'Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America', a non-profit organization, released the following public statement from their Montana Chapter volunteer Julia Starrett.
“Today justice prevailed over senseless and unnecessary gun violence with the guilty verdict in the Kaarma trial. Seventeen-year-old Diren Dede’s death did not have to happen – and we know that unfortunately, there are laws on the books that embolden people like Mr. Kaarma to shoot first and ask questions later. As moms who are dedicated to reducing the 86 gun violence deaths in our country each day, we believe that responsible gun ownership goes hand in hand with common-sense safety measures that keep our children safe and today, we are pleased to see that justice prevailed in the state of Montana.”