BOZEMAN — Jordan Palmer, the man accused of deliberate homicide in the shooting death of Stephen Campbell that took place in Belgrade in April 2024, has received a verdict of not guilty.
The jury returned with a not guilty verdict shortly before 5 p.m.
During the opening arguments, both the prosecution and defense outlined their cases, introducing potential witnesses and recounting the incident that took place in April 2024 on Mantle Drive.
On Wednesday, July 30, on the opening day of the trial, the prosecution asserted that Palmer purposefully caused the death of Stephen Campbell. Deputy County Attorney Shannon Foley stated that Campbell accused Palmer of attempting to enter another person’s vehicle before he was shot. "The man who was shot accused Mr. Palmer of trying to get into someone’s vehicle. He pulled the trigger 7 times in response to a claim that this man threw his cigarette down, verbally threatened him, and swung at him," Foley said.
According to court documents, responding officers found Campbell unconscious near a set of mailboxes with two visible bullet wounds to his chest. While both sides confirm that Palmer shot Campbell seven times, defense attorney Brigitte Carneal argues these actions were in self-defense.
"You are going to hear and see a series of explosions, and you will see them all going backwards – Jordan is shooting while he is backing away. You will also see that while those shots are going off, Stephen Campbell is moving forward," Carneal explained.
Later that week, members of the jury expressed fears of intimidation from the victim's family, prompting concerns from the judge about the jury's ability to remain fair.
The issue arose when the jury requested to use secure parking, citing discomfort after observing “Justice for Stephen” T-shirts worn by Campbell's family in court. In response, Judge Brown proposed to individually question each juror to assess their feelings and level of intimidation.
This is a developing story and will be updated if more information becomes available.
