US man pleads not guilty in German student's death

MISSOULA, Montana (AP) — A U.S. man charged with fatally shooting a 17-year-old German exchange student in his garage pleaded not guilty Wednesday to deliberate homicide.

As Markus Kaarma, 29, of Montana, was arraigned in the April 27 death of Diren Dede, prosecutors asked District Judge Ed McLean to increase Kaarma's bond to $500,000. Deputy Missoula County Attorney Andrew Paul said Kaarma's neighbors fear him and the shooting investigation turned up a pattern of irrational and aggressive behavior.

Defense attorneys argued the neighbors' fears are "not based in logic" but are a result of the public outcry over the case that caused some people to question a Montana law that allows people to use lethal force to defend themselves or their property.

McLean kept Kaarma's bail at $30,000 after confirming the defendant surrendered his firearms. The judge asked Kaarma, who has posted bond, to turn over his passport.

Prosecutors allege Kaarma and his girlfriend were frustrated over recent burglaries and set up motion sensors and video cameras to try to catch the thieves. Kaarma fired four shots into the garage after they spotted a trespasser, charging documents said. Dede was hit in the head and arm and died a short time later at the hospital.

Kaarma has said he feared for his life and was defending his property.

Two other teens have been charged with stealing marijuana, wallets, credit cards and a cellphone from the garage and vehicles at Kaarma's house in the weeks prior to the shooting. Prosecutors say Dede was apparently looking for alcohol when he entered Kaarma's garage.

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