MISSOULA — A teen who pleaded guilty to shooting two people during a robbery at a Missoula convenience store was sentenced Monday with the two victims testifying that the only reason they were there in the courtroom is because the suspect's gun jammed.
Chase Munson will serve two concurrent 50 year sentences for shooting two men at the South Avenue Market, leaving them on the verge of death.
The two victims of the shooting both gave statements at the sentencing and said that if it weren't for Munson's gun misfiring multiple times, they wouldn't be here anymore.
"You are only hearing our voices today because of fluke accidents. If you wanted the money I would have put it with a bow tag for you. I would have packed the beer for you. I do forgive you. We will seek good time for you," Christopher Dobson said.
Munson -- while drunk and high on Xanax and Adderall -- walked into the South Avenue Market on the night of March 6, 2018 and shot Dobson and Richard McAffee multiple times before fleeing the scene
Munson's friends and family at the sentencing say that the incident was not a reflection of who Munson is, but instead shows his difficult upbringing filled with abuse and neglect.
"I feel like Chase had all the cards stacked against him. He is a boy who survived severe trauma that some of us couldn't even imagine. He was born and raised in the first years of his life by a single mother, then torn from all he knew moved to a different state with a whole new family and learned to adjust to the new family and household," Munson’s sister Jessica Miller told the court.
"He has had both parents struggle with addiction and incarceration and improper handling of the courts. Both Rob and Julia have had court cases that set precedents in Montana courts," she added.
An emotional Munson addressed the court before his sentencing was handed out and his statement was filled with regret over his actions and the promise for him to change.
"March 6th was the rock bottom in a dark and emotionally unstable time in my life. I hate the fact that I'm portrayed as a monster. That night does not reflect a sober me. It does not reflect my values or the path I will take after today," Munson said.
"I understand what I have done was heinous and unjust and I reject my actions and will continue to learn from them. I will do whatever it takes in the coming years of my life to earn a second chance," he added.
Judge Karen Townsend also sentenced Munson for crimes he committed in January and February, where he stole an SUV and a marijuana plant from a dispensary -- and crashing his vehicle into Mellow Mood.
Those sentences will all run concurrently with the two attempted homicide charges.
