Montana trial set to begin

Jury selection for the trial is set to begin Monday, followed by arguments as early as Tuesday, according to the local newspaper, the Missoulian.

Diren Dede, a 17-year-old exchange student from Hamburg, was killed last April when he entered a garage in Missoula, Montana.

Prosecutors have said that Kaarma, a former firefighter, grabbed his shotgun and fired four shots into the darkened garage after watching a video monitor and then seeing a dark figure inside.

The student was hit fatally by two shots.

Purse left as lure?

Kaarma is accused by prosecutors of deliberately luring the teenager into the garage by placing a purse inside and leaving the doors partially open.

They said Kaarma and his partner were frustrated over recent burglaries and had set up motion sensors and video cameras.

Defense lawyers are expected to argue that the householder acted reasonably given that he had been burgled three times over a short period before the fatal incident.

"Markus felt a high level of fear and anxiety for himself and his family due to the burglaries and lack of response from law enforcement," said Kaarma's lawyer Paul Ryan.

Thiefs by others

A friend of Diren, Ecuadorian exchange student Robby Pazmino, reportedly told police that the teens were “garage hopping" in search of alcohol and other substances.

Court records show that two other teens arrested prior to the shooting later confessed to being responsible for thefts from the garage.

German prosecutors said in May that they would open their own investigation, citing German law that allowed prosecution for offenses committed against German citizens on foreign soil.

jm/ipj (AP, dpa)