The Montana Supreme Court has reversed the conviction of an attorney for the murder of his wife.

The evidence established that the couple had had a pattern of heated disputes including just before her death

Laird did not testify at trial, but a few years after Kathryn died, Laird applied to practice law in Missouri. The Missouri Board of Law Examiners (Board) questioned Laird about the circumstances surrounding Kathryn’s death. Laird answered the questions under oath and, accordingly, the State read the transcript from that questioning into evidence at trial. When asked whether he and Kathryn verbally argued during their marriage, Laird told the Board that Kathryn was “argumentative during her premenstrual time.” Laird classified their disagreements as Kathryn being argumentative with him, not the other way around, and further testified that they never had any physical confrontations.

Laird explained the circumstances surrounding Kathryn’s death, specifically his perception of the events on the night of July 30, 1999, to the Board. He was supposed to go to Billings the next morning to do law work and wanted to get rest before making that trip. Kathryn came home from work later than normal that evening and the two got into a discussion around 11:30 p.m. It was “during her premenstrual period” so “she was very tired and very grouchy.” Laird told Kathryn that she should quit her morning job, because the money she made was not worth her having to wake up so early, at 4:30 or 5:00 a.m., and being so tried. Kathryn “wanted to argue” about her morning job and “things in general,” but Laird wanted to go to sleep. The two argued for ten or fifteen minutes, Laird “refused to have an argument because it was a small point and it was late at night and [he] had to go to Billings” the next day.

The victim did not show up for work on the following day.