Defendant to testify in Molt murder trial

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COLUMBUS, Mont. (AP) — A 48-year-old Molt man charged with deliberate homicide is expected to give his account of the shooting death of a neighbor who owed him $35.

Jeffrey Hardman will testify in his trial Wednesday just what happened in the October death of 33-year-old Michael Blattie.

Prosecutors rested their case against Hardman on Tuesday after hearing testimony from about 20 witnesses.

Among them was Billings pastor Robert Griggs, who said Hardman came to his church on Oct. 30 and confessed to killing Blattie.

According to Griggs, Hardman told the pastor that the two men got into a fight, Hardman reached for his gun and Blattie was shot in the abdomen during a struggle for control.

Hardman's public defenders have said they would call only one witness, Hardman.

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Information from: The Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com

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