ST. GEORGE — A man the jury found guilty in the shooting death of 38-year-old Christopher Montgomery in Washington City in 2020 appeared in court for sentencing Thursday.
And while the jury might not have been convinced by the defendant’s claim of self-defense, Bradly Scott Hunt stood firm on his position the shooting was driven only by his desire to protect his family.
In the end, amid six bailiffs situated near the defendant, 5th District Judge Keith C. Barnes Barnes sentenced Hunt to serve 15 years to life in prison for first-degree murder and 0-5 years on a weapons charge – both of which were ordered to run consecutively.
The judge also ordered the defendant to remain in custody in Washington County until his two unrelated cases are resolved, at which point he will be transported to Utah State Prison to being serving out his sentence.
During the sentencing hearing, the gallery was filled with family members and friends of both the victim and the defendant.
The groups were seated on opposite sides of the courtroom – where the 34-year-old Hunt stood before the judge to be sentenced for first-degree murder. The jury found Hunt guilty of murder, along with four firearms charges, following a four-day trial on Sept. 2, while the jury found him not guilty of the drug and paraphernalia charges.
The case originally was filed May 8, 2020, after officers found Montgomery lying with a gunshot wound to the chest on the front driveway of a residence off Huntington Hill Road. The victim was transported to St. George Regional Hospital and later died from his injuries.
At the time of the incident, Hunt reportedly told police he had a physical altercation with Montgomery earlier in the day. Shortly thereafter, the defendant told police that Montgomery, who lived next door, possibly was armed with a gun, and in response, a shotgun was placed near the front door in case he returned to the residence.
Several hours later, Hunt said he was in the backyard with friends a little after 10 p.m. when he heard his dogs barking and went inside to look out the front window. He told officers he observed the neighbor attempting to enter the home through a window, which is when the defendant said he “grabbed the shotgun, opened the front door and then fired a shot at the victim,” without exchanging any words.
Hunt also told police he thought he saw “an item in the victim’s hand when he looked out the window” just before opening the door, but he said he was unable to identify what it was, leaving him unsure if Montgomery was armed. This account was called into question by several witness statements provided to investigators at the scene.
The two families live next door to one another, as they did at the time of the incident.
During the hearing, Daniel Montgomery addressed the court by saying he was the victim’s uncle and said Christopher Montgomery grew up with his children. The uncle said he thought of the victim as one of his own children and went on to say what happened to his nephew “tore us apart.” He also said the loss was “indescribable,” adding that the defendant’s actions were “unforgiveable.” He then asked that the court to levy the maximum sentence allowed.
Christopher Montgomery’s wife, Kamie Montgomery, also spoke during the hearing and said the defendant’s actions “took my high school sweetheart and my best friend.”
She went on to say it was all of the firsts that her husband of 20 years will miss that she finds so painful – such as teaching their children how to drive, walking their four girls down the aisle at their weddings or meeting and spending time with his grandchildren.
She also said the turmoil the family has gone through has been the worst, adding it was the “why” that bothered her the most. She closed by asking that Hunt receive the maximum sentences to be served consecutively.
“This was not premeditated – it was self-defense,” she said.
Prosecutor Zach Weiland represented the state during the hearing and opened by going over Hunt’s extensive criminal history, for which he has been incarcerated “for most of his adult life.” It was illegal for the defendant to have any gun in his possession as a convicted felon, including the one he used to shoot and kill the victim, Weiland said.
The prosecutor said the defendant lied to the officers and lied again when he took the stand during his trial, and “the jury didn’t buy that,” so the shooting was not self-defense.
The state closed by saying “justice demands that he be sent to prison,” and then he asked that the sentences be served consecutively.
Tracy Hunt, the defendant’s mother, also spoke during the hearing and said at the time of the incident, there was an active protective order filed against the victim, Montgomery, who was prohibited from entering the family home, which was also where the defendant lived.
She also said Montgomery had been asked multiple times to stay away from their residence during the period leading up to the incident. She added she was sorry that Montgomery violated the protective order and lost his life as a result.
The defendant’s mother closed by saying, “It was self-defense and nothing else, but we have lost our son.”
Hunt was represented by Skye Lazaro and Justin Hamady, two defense attorneys out of Salt Lake City, and Lazaro addressed the court prior to sentencing by saying that her client felt “great remorse” for the victim’s family. In reference to her client’s criminal history, Lazaro said that while Hunt did have prior cases and convictions, none of the cases filed prior to this case involved violence.
She also said her client has spent more than 800 days in jail since his arrest in May 2020 and asked that Hunt be given credit for the time he has already served.
Then Lazaro argued for the sentences to run concurrently, adding that case law supports the position that indeterminate sentencing is the standard in Utah, and it should be left to the Board of Pardons to determine how long Hunt spends in prison.
Hunt also addressed the court prior to being sentenced and said he and the victim were friends – “good friends,” he said, adding he has also spent the last two years mourning the loss of his friend, as well as what has taken place since then. He also told the Montgomery family he was sorry and that he wished he could go back to before the incident took place.
The defendant said he still believed the shooting was in self-defense, and that he has been convicted of a crime he never committed.
“I feel like I’m being condemned for something I was morally justified to do – protect my family,” he said.
During redirect, Weiland said that Hunt first beat Montgomery, before dragging him out to the driveway, and later, he said, the defendant sat in the backyard in the dark, waiting. Then, when a confused and intoxicated Montgomery returned, the prosecutor said, that is when the defendant “did exactly what he told him he would do – he shot him.”
Just prior to rendering the sentence, the judge commended Adult Probation and Parole for their efforts in putting together the presentence report, and then Barnes commended the family for “putting their difficult thoughts on paper,” and for presenting those thoughts in open court.
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