Man sentenced to life in prison in fatal road rage shooting

A man in Montana was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Wednesday after a fatal road rage shooting in March 2019.

Johnathan Bertsch was sentenced by District Court Judge Shane Vannatta to four life terms after he admitted to killing two people and critically wounding two others, The Associated Press reported.

Bertsch pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide and three counts of attempted deliberate homicide.

The incident occurred when Shelley Hays, Julie Blanchard and Casey Blanchard, Julie’s son, were driving home from a bar and emitted a black plume of exhaust from their truck as a joke to a friend. 

The smoke hit Bertsch’s car and sent him into a fit of rage, according to the AP.

Bertsch followed the car, tried running it off the road and flashed his lights at it. When the three pulled over and started getting out of the car to talk to him, Bertsch began shooting. 

Hays and Julie Blanchard both died while Casey Blanchard was critically wounded. He now uses a wheelchair. 

Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Wade Palmer found Bertsch hours later. Bertsch fired at the officer, critically wounding him as well. 

The court proceedings lasted two days in Missoula before the sentence was announced, the AP noted.