Man charged in fatal 2013 shooting pleads not guilty

HELENA (AP) – A man charged in a fatal shooting at a Lewis and Clark County home in 2013 has pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide.

The Helena Independent Record reports 66-year-old James George Stiffler entered his plea Thursday for the May 22, 2013, death of 37-year-old Henry Thomas Johnson. Stiffler is scheduled to go to trial Oct. 19.

According to court documents, he says he returned home to find Johnson ransacking his home and trying to steal his property. Stiffler later called authorities to report he had shot and killed the man.

Prosecutors say Stiffler's story is not supported by forensic evidence. They say Stiffler shot Johnson as he was exiting a window.