A man who served a long prison sentence for the murder of a 17-year-old boy in the Marion area nearly 26 years ago has been released from state supervision.

David Lee Jackson, 46, was charged first with deliberate homicide, then mitigated deliberate homicide, after he shot and killed Kenneth Earl Pritchett on Lower Lost Prairie Road in the early hours of July 3, 1995.

Jackson and Pritchett were acquaintances and accompanied by several other young people on the morning of the shooting, according to court records. They drove around the area the previous night before arriving at a location near where Jackson lived.

After the two got into an argument, Jackson went to his home, retrieved a .22-caliber rifle, returned to the location and shot Pritchett in the upper chest. Later, Jackson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve 50 years, with five suspended, in the Montana State Prison.

"In imposing this sentence, the court considered that this defendant needlessly and senselessly took the life of another young boy," Flathead County District Court Judge Ted O. Lympus wrote in a sentencing document. "He did this with a measure of deliberateness, having engaged in discussions of murder of others earlier in the evening and the culmination of those events led to this death."

Lympus also noted, however, a doctor's observations that Jackson "was subject to an ugly litany of maltreatment upon him. The defendant was a victim of abuse throughout his childhood which resulted in serious psychological problems which are going to take a great deal of effort and time to address."

The judge said Jackson showed remorse and had demonstrated a desire to change his behavior.

JACKSON WAS released from prison on Dec. 30, 2017, according to an April 2020 document from the state Department of Corrections' Probation and Parole Division, which deemed him a "moderate risk." After his release and while under state supervision, he had been residing at a sober-living home, addressing his mental health concerns with medication and psychiatric treatment. He had no documented violations.

Jackson petitioned for a conditional discharge from supervision in May 2020. The Department of Corrections did not oppose the motion, but the Flathead County Attorney's Office did, with Deputy Attorney Stacy Bowman writing, "The petition does not submit any evidence demonstrating how his conditional discharge is in society's best interest."

In March this year, Jackson again requested to be released from supervision and asked to appear in court telephonically, writing he was unable to travel due to physical and mental health issues.

"I have had multiple stays in the Billings psych center due to my schizoaffective disorder and have been receiving ongoing treatment for multiple sclerosis," he wrote.

Flathead County District Court Judge Amy Eddy granted Jackson's request for a conditional discharge on May 3. In a statement, the Flathead County Attorney's Office said it "strenuously objected" to that outcome.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 406-758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.