KALISPELL — A jury trial is underway this week in Flathead County for a man accused of driving over and killing another man in a fatal vehicle incident in Kalispell last August.
Jeffrey Serio pleaded not guilty last September after being charged with one count of deliberate homicide.
He is accused of driving over and killing Raymond Grigg on his property on Birch Grove Road in Kalispell.
During opening statements, Deputy County Attorney Ashley Frechette addressed the jury, saying the state will show photos and video from the incident and call Grigg's family members, law enforcement officials and medical examiners to testify.
"You will see pictures of this, pictures of the damage. Again, this is tedious. There will be a lot of photos during this trial. The intention is to put you, the jury, as close as possible to the scene," Frechette said.
Meanwhile, Serio's attorney, Alisha Rapkoch, said the defense will present evidence that Serio was acting in self-defense in a fight-or-flight moment when the incident occurred.
"And I will ask you to return the only verdict that the law and the evidence support, and that is that Jeffrey is not guilty of murder because in those terrifying moments when bullets were striking his vehicle, he acted in lawful self-defense," Rapkoch said.
Court documents state that last August, law enforcement responded to a report of a suspicious male, later identified as Serio, on Grigg's property.
After being warned to leave, Serio left on foot, but deputies later heard a vehicle accelerating rapidly through a cornfield.
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A witness said they heard Serio's vehicle hit something, as well as gunshots.
Law enforcement reported finding Grigg trapped underneath the vehicle, according to court documents.
Serio was identified as the driver.
Five shell casings were found at the scene, along with two rounds that struck the front of Serio's vehicle.
Serio is scheduled to stand trial for eight days.
MTN News will provide updates as the trial unfolds.
