KALISPELL – The case of a Coram man charged with deliberate homicide last week is opening doors for other unsolved cases.
19-year-old Martin Chandler is accused of shooting and killing 54-year-old William Melton over an argument on the morning of Feb. 14.
Flathead County Sheriff’s Office investigators are now saying that they believe the incident was associated with drugs.
After searching the property in Coram where Melton was killed, deputies found two meth labs, one in the residence and another in a vehicle.
Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino says this discovery addressed previously unanswered questions from other cases.
“We ended up getting a lot of, and better information, on other cases that we previously didn’t have leads on,” Heino said. “So, it started off with meth labs and then it started branching out and then we’re into further investigations into some cases we didn’t have additional information on.”
Chandler is currently being held without bail at the Flathead County jail.
He will have the opportunity to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty to the charges against him in a hearing set for March 14.
