The man who was the prime suspect in the murders of three women in Florence 17 years ago is going to back prison — this time for peddling drugs.
A US District judge in Great Falls sentenced 42-year-old Brian Weber to 15 years in prison for selling heroin and methamphetamine over a three-year span.
Brian Weber’s name became well-known in the Bitterroot Valley after his arrest for the stabbing deaths of three women at a Florence Hair Salon in 2001 in a case that terrified the Valley.
In the end, murder charges against Weber had to be dropped because witnesses in the case were either dead or refused to cooperate.
Prosecutors say Weber has an extensive criminal history of prior felony violent crimes and a federal drug conviction, including violence against family members, girlfriends and members within his drug network.
Weber, who now lives in Great Falls was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris.
Weber was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals after being sentenced.
Weber distributed heroin and methamphetamine in Great Falls for more than three years, from 2014 through early 2017, according to prosecutors. The FBI investigated Weber and identified numerous individuals in Great Falls who received their narcotics from Weber.
“Brian Weber is a dangerous criminal with a substantial criminal history. Because of that, we asked for an enhanced sentence provided by statute to make sure Weber is removed from our communities for a long time,” said U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.
“I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley and the FBI’s Regional Violent Crime Task Force, in western Montana, including officers from Montana Probation and Parole and the sheriff’s offices in Lewis and Clark and Missoula counties and the Missoula Police Department, for helping to get this case successfully prosecuted,” Alme added.
