Federal Murder Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025
In the District of Montana, 18 of 19 people sentenced for murder in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 pleaded guilty (95%), compared with 78% in all 94 districts. Every person received a prison term, and the median was 240 months (20 years), the same as the national median.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 › Murder: District of Montana
In brief: In the District of Montana, 18 of 19 people sentenced for murder in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 pleaded guilty (95%), compared with 78% in all 94 districts. Every person received a prison term, and the median was 240 months (20 years), the same as the national median.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 19 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Guilty Pleas Were More Common Than Nationally
One of the 19 people was convicted after a trial. The other 18 pleaded guilty, which is 95%. Across all districts, 3,754 people were sentenced for murder, and 78% pleaded guilty.
The median prison term was 218 months after a guilty plea. After a trial it was 470 months, but that figure is based on 1 person, so it should not be read as a typical trial result. Among the guilty pleas, 83% had a written plea agreement, and 17% were straight pleas.
Prison Terms
All 19 people received a prison term. The median was 240 months. A quarter received 310 months or more, and a quarter received 174 months or less. A life sentence was imposed on 2 people.
More than 99% were sent to prison in all districts, with the same median of 240 months. The median for all offenses in Montana was 40 months.
Second Degree, First Degree, and Accessory Cases
The Commission's offense type is "Murder." The most common primary guideline was §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder), with 14 people. Another 3 were sentenced under §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder), and 2 under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Murder cases were less than 1% of the 3,524 people sentenced in the district. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4 of the 19 people, which is 21%.
Position Against the Guideline Range
A total of 10 sentences (53%) were within the range. Another 2 (11%) were below it at the government's request, and 4 (21%) were below it without that request. A total of 3 sentences (16%) were above the range.
In all districts, 39% of murder sentences were within the range, and for all Montana offenses, 33% were.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 18 people (95%), with a median term of 60 months. Restitution was ordered for 8 people (42%), and no fine was ordered.
In criminal history category I, the lowest, 68% of the group were placed, and 0% were in category VI, the highest. The military records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 10 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 9 people. The table lists 1 to 4 people per year. Medians range from 139.5 months in 2024 to 355 months in 2025, and each rests on 1 or 2 people. These figures do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 196 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 4 | 240 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 1 | 240 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 295 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2020 | 2 | 278 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 1 | 320 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 192 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 2 | 165 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 2 | 139.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 355 months | 1 of 1 |
What the Records Leave Out
Malmstrom AFB, Montana, is in the district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not counted here.
Only people who were convicted and sentenced appear. Terms are the terms imposed, not served. The data does not describe any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Montana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Montana") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (19). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.