The man convicted of running over and killing his ex-wife in Martin City in 2023 was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison with five suspended.  

A jury in November found Kenneth James Floyd, 41, of Columbia Falls guilty of negligent homicide, leaving the scene of a vehicle accident involving serious bodily injury or death and tampering with physical evidence. 

After hearing emotional impact statements from victim Kimberly Gilham's sister and then-husband as well as Floyd's ex-wife, Judge Dan Wilson handed down the sentence July 16 in Flathead County District Court.  

Floyd was accused of grievously injuring Gilham with his truck as he drove out of a Martin City alley in the early morning hours of June 18, 2023. Gilham succumbed to her wounds at Logan Health Medical Center, and Floyd allegedly fled to Browning after the ultimately fatal collision. 

Before imposing the sentence, Wilson said Floyd repeatedly sought to avoid accountability, pointing to his false statements to law enforcement, his decision to leave the scene and his attempt to dispose of the truck after being called in for questioning by the Flathead County Sheriff's Office.   

"Instead of making any attempt to save Kimberly, he made every attempt to save only himself," Wilson said.  

Wilson recalled trial testimony from Gilham's sister, Nicole Stamp, who told jurors she overheard Floyd tell his and Gilham's son by phone that she would be the next to be run over.  

"This is the conduct of a person whose moral compass does not exist," Wilson said. 

THROUGHOUT THE trial, Floyd's defense lawyers tried to convince the jury that Kimberly Gilham's husband at the time, Chris Gilham, may have been responsible for her death.  

The defense suggested that Kimberly's injuries were more consistent with being struck by Chris' vehicle. Chris had found Kimberly drinking vodka with Floyd in Floyd's vehicle shortly before the incident.  

Chris on Thursday called the allegations against him "disgusting" and said his life has been profoundly affected by his wife's death.  

"Everything I knew was [Kimberly] and my kids," he said while holding back tears. "I lost all hope for myself and my kids."  

Chris said that when he met Kimberly 11 years ago, she had a black eye that was caused by Floyd. Kimberly later told him that she was afraid Floyd would eventually kill her.  

"He was ultimately responsible for her death, like she feared all those years earlier," Chris said.  

Melissa Floyd, Kenneth Floyd's ex-wife, said she and Kimberly Gilham did not always see eye to eye, but that during the trial she realized her relationship with Floyd mirrored Gilham’s in many ways.  

"I recognized the manipulation, the guilt, the pressure and the control," Melissa said while wiping away tears.   

"The events of this case did not occur in isolation. They were part of a pattern of behavior that affected many lives throughout the years," she said. 

Melissa refused her husband's request to remove his truck from the Flathead County Sheriff's Office parking lot when investigators called him in for questioning.  

Stamp, Gilham's sister, said that she was an active, motivated and financially stable individual before meeting Kenneth Floyd.  

Stamp was granted full custody of Floyd and Gilham's young son. Gilham is also survived by an older daughter from a previous relationship and a daughter she shared with Chris Gilham.   

"These kids miss their mom and will always have that void in their hearts because Kenny made the choice to kill Kimberly," Stamp said.  

FLOYD'S ATTORNEY Jami Rebsom did not call any witnesses to the stand, but argued that he posed no danger to the public. While on release for two years, he maintained employment, paid child support and never reoffended, she said.  

Rebsom acknowledged his 13 past misdemeanor convictions, but said that more than half were traffic related.  

Rebsom asked the court to impose concurrent sentences in the Montana Department of Corrections, resulting in a maximum term of 12 years with 10 of those years suspended. 

Wilson ultimately adopted the sentence recommended by prosecutors Special Deputy County Attorney Eric Kitzmiller and Assistant Attorney General Edwqard Hirsh, saying Floyd's actions suggested he was unlikely to change.  

"These are acts of a degraded personality. A person that demonstrates a sort of narcissistic approach to the universe, where the entire universe should revolve around him and his needs or pleasures," he said.  

Floyd was sentenced to 20 years for negligent homicide, five years for leaving the scene of a fatal crash and five years suspended for tampering with evidence. The sentences will run consecutively.  

Wearing an orange jumpsuit and sporting a shaved head, Floyd stared straight ahead as the sentence was handed down.  

Floyd will receive credit for 309 days served. He agreed to pay close to $7,000 in restitution to Gilham's family.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.