Pablo man acquitted of murder charge

A Pablo man charged with murder in the shooting death of 30-year-old Matthew Adam Posey Darnell, of Polson, was found not guilty by a jury this week, according to the Lake County Clerk of Courts Office.

In a unanimous vote, the jury acquitted Daniel Chance Blixt, 30, of a deliberate homicide charge after his attorneys argued the shooting was in self-defense.

The shooting was called in to the Lake County 911 dispatch center on the evening of Feb. 28, 2019. Tribal police officers, Lake County deputies and Montana Highway Patrol personnel arrived on scene and found Darnell shot multiple times, according to information from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Darnell was rushed to a local hospital where he died a short time later from his injuries in the shooting.

Darnell was reportedly in a relationship with Blixt’s ex-wife, Natasha Blixt. According to court documents, Natasha planned to bring money to Blixt on the night of the shooting. She arrived at Blixt’s house with Darnell driving.

“Since she knew that there was some animosity between [Blixt] and [Darnell], she had [Darnell] park down the street from the house,” according to court documents.

Documents state Blixt was already outside when she arrived and he “demanded to know who was with her.” She initially lied about who it was, documents state. Blixt then approached the car as Darnell stepped out of the vehicle.

At this point, documents state, Blixt drew a .40-caliber pistol and shot Darnell several times, with one shot severing an artery.

Blixt’s defense argued that the shooting was a justifiable use of force.

Other court documents reveal that in statements to investigators after the shooting, Blixt reportedly said that he told Darnell, “Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot.” Documents also state that Blixt said the victim told him “You better use it, you better use it,” followed by “I’m going to [expletive] you up.”

Court documents also state that an investigation revealed that Blixt had previously hocked the weapon at a local pawn shop “and had been adamant about redeeming the hock in the days before the shooting.”

The pistol was returned to Blixt on the day of the shooting, documents note.