HELENA – A man charged in connection with the death of a Broadwater County Sheriff’s deputy will not be forcibly medicated while the Montana Supreme Court considers his case.
Lloyd Barrus has been charged with five felonies, including deliberate homicide by accountability, in the 2017 shooting of Deputy Mason Moore near Three Forks. However, he was found unfit to stand trial after the Montana State Hospital diagnosed him with multiple disorders, including persecutory-type delusional disorder.
The state has asked that Barrus be given anti-psychotic medications to treat his conditions, but Barrus has consistently refused to take the medication.
In April, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ruled Barrus could be forcibly medicated in an attempt to make him competent to stand trial.
Barrus’ attorneys then asked the Supreme Court to overturn Seeley’s decision, arguing the state hadn’t proven the necessary elements to justify forced treatment. They requested last week that the court put a stay on her order while justices consider the appeal. The state’s attorneys did not object to the motion, and the court agreed to delay the planned treatment.
Prosecutors say Barrus’ son Marshall fatally shot Moore on May 16, 2017, and Lloyd and Marshall Barrus then led law enforcement on a nearly 150-mile chase that ended near Missoula. Marshall Barrus was killed in a shootout with officers.
–Jonathon Ambarian reporting for MTN News
