Kalispell man on trial for murder gets plea deal

Oct. 20—A Kalispell man on trial for a murder in 2019 admitted to the offense Wednesday morning in Flathead County District Court.

Leigh Garrett Medina, 45, pleaded no contest to one felony count of deliberate homicide in front of District Judge Dan Wilson.

Medina's trial began Monday, but after opening arguments Monday and witness testimony that day and Tuesday, his attorneys, Jay Reno and Amanda Gordon, negotiated a plea deal Wednesday that both sides found to their liking.

Medina admitted he killed David Paul Kellenberger, 67, with a cement brick on July 15, 2019, inside the victim's home on Lenwood Lane in Evergreen. The two were acquaintances who knew each other because of their involvement in the drug trade.

Wilson scheduled Medina's sentencing for 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 30.

Flathead County Deputy Attorney Andrew Clegg said the state will recommend a 55-year sentence. Ten years is the minimum Medina could serve, according to Reno.

Medina will receive credit for the two-plus years he has been lodged in the Flathead County Detention Center. He will be eligible for parole consideration after serving 25% of his sentence.

"We were able to negotiate a favorable agreement," Reno said. "There were other attempts to work something out."

Reno said it was the second murder for which he had worked out a deal after a jury was seated. Reno and co-counsel Amanda Gordon spoke about the impact illegal drugs had in the murder.

"The drug use in our community is prevalent and very concerning," Reno said. "More funding is needed to address these issues. Prison or jail time doesn't address the issue."

Gordon said she thought Medina felt better after having not used methamphetamine while he's been in jail.

"Leigh's battled addiction for years and there are no winners here," Gordon said. "Everyone's a victim in this, but I think the resolution in the case is fair."

Clegg, who was the lead prosecutor in the case, and Flathead County Attorney Travis Ahner, who also worked on it, agreed the resolution was appropriate, but felt differently about the possible punishment.

"We've seen an increase in crime from the criminal justice reform efforts that have set a standard where the consequences for one's actions have been taken away," Ahner said.

Ahner applauded the efforts of those who investigated the homicide and Clegg's efforts to prosecute it.

"First and foremost, it was a phenomenal investigation by the Flathead County Sheriff's Office and with help from the Kalispell Police Department," Ahner said. "A Kalispell officer who was off-duty showed up to help and their work together helped locate Medina and bring him to custody in a matter of less than two hours.

"And Andrew Clegg's legal fight in the case was instrumental in getting a conviction," Ahner added.

Clegg said Kalispell Police officer Jesse Allen played a big role in helping apprehend Medina.

Allen testified Tuesday he had just begun his 5 p.m. shift on the day of the murder when he learned about the crime and that a man named "Leigh" may be involved.

"The description of the Ford Expedition made me think of Leigh because two weeks prior to the homicide, I had stopped him when I saw him get in the vehicle with an open container of alcohol. By the time I stopped him he had put the container in a cooler in the back seat of the vehicle," Allen said.

Medina has a prior criminal history in the Flathead dating back nearly a decade. In November 2009, Medina was accused of stealing several power tools and related items. He later pleaded guilty to an amended charge of theft and also to bail-jumping. He received a five-year sentence with three years suspended for the theft charge.

Then, in April 2014, Medina pleaded no contest to criminal endangerment after assaulting a man with a metal object at a Shadow Lane residence in Evergreen. The criminal complaint alleged Medina punched the victim in the face and struck him in the back of the head with a metal object that left the man bloody. The man fended off the attack with a rake he was using for yard work.

Medina also served time for those offenses.

Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.