MISSOULA, Mont. (NMB) – Johnathan Bertsch, who admitted to fatally shooting two people and seriously wounding two others, including a Montana Highway Patrol Trooper in March 2019 has been sentenced to four life sentences without the possibility of parole.
During a road rage incident near Missoula, Bertsch shot Julie Blanchard, Casey Blanchard, Shelley Hays, and Trooper Wade Palmer.
Hays died at the scene, Julie Blanchard died months later due to her injuries, Casey Blanchard has recovered, and Palmer spent several months fighting for his life before returning home and retiring from the Highway Patrol.
