Episode 20: Bear Spray

A Shot in the Dark: Bear Spray, a Love Triangle, and a Montana Murder Charge

As a forensic pathologist, I’ve spent most of my career unraveling the cold truths the dead leave behind—examining evidence that often speaks more clearly than the living ever could. Most of the cases I cover on Kohroner Chronicles are ones I’ve performed the autopsy for or at least reviewed directly for a local jurisdiction. But now and then, I get a case that’s entirely outside the norm.

This one came from a thousand miles away.

I’d never set foot in Montana before—still haven’t, actually—but a public defender out there found me during my semi-retirement and asked me to review a case involving a shooting. The catch? The circumstances involved an unfamiliar cast of characters, a love triangle gone sideways, and—most bizarrely—a can of bear spray.

The Setup: Trouble in the Mountains

Montana’s a different world from Indiana. Out there, rugged terrain and rural isolation are the norm, and so are the bears. That’s where bear spray comes in: a supercharged, industrial-sized canister of pepper spray intended to deter a charging grizzly. It shoots a bright orange stream to help hikers aim for the eyes, ideally long enough to escape with their lives.

But in this case, the bear wasn’t a bear at all—it was a man named Tom.

Tom had recently moved in with a woman we'll call Ann, shortly after her breakup with another man—Dick. Their relationship was strained. Arguments, emotional instability, even hints of physical aggression set the backdrop. One night, fearing for her safety, Ann reached out to Dick for help. Dick brought along his friend Harry, and between the two of them, they showed up armed only with brass knuckles and bear spray.

That’s when the situation escalated—fast.

The Encounter: Spray, Gunfire, and a Fatal Mistake

Dick entered the home. Harry stayed outside. Tom, inside and agitated, began threatening Dick. The confrontation intensified until Dick locked himself in the bathroom. When he eventually emerged, bear spray in hand, Tom was standing just feet away.

Dick unleashed the bear spray directly into Tom’s face.

Blinded and panicked, Tom stumbled out of the house, down the porch, and toward his truck. But Dick pursued him, still wielding the bear spray. From about 30 feet away, Tom fired a single shot in the direction of the shouting—blinded, disoriented, and running on instinct. That single shot struck Dick in the chest. He collapsed in the driveway, mortally wounded.

Tom fled in his truck but didn’t get far. Still affected by the bear spray, he crashed into a ditch. Dazed and desperate, he approached a nearby house for help, where a wary homeowner armed with a rifle let him rinse his eyes. When police arrived minutes later, Tom was arrested on the spot.

The Aftermath: Forensics, Legal Firepower, and a Dismissal

Back at the jail, the potency of the bear spray on Tom’s clothes was so intense it forced the evacuation of an entire cell block. Jailers and inmates alike were coughing and tearing up. This wasn’t a mild case of overexposure. This was chemical warfare by proxy.

I was brought in by the defense to evaluate the forensic plausibility of a premeditated homicide charge. The scene told a different story—one of chaos, panic, and self-preservation.

The shell casing was found roughly 30 feet from the victim. With a face full of bear spray, I argued that it was implausible Tom could have deliberately aimed and fired with intent to kill. He fired blindly toward the sound, not out of malice, but fear.

Adding an interesting twist, the defense also enlisted a Montana firearms expert who had helped draft the very law governing use of force and self-defense in the state. His analysis aligned with mine: this was not murder. It was a reactionary act in a strange, high-stress moment involving an unusual “weapon.”

Ultimately, the trial never happened. The prosecution failed to file charges within the required time window. The case was dismissed entirely.

Final Thoughts: Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction

I may never encounter another case quite like this—a fatal shooting triggered by a face full of bear spray in a love triangle turned tragic. But that’s exactly what makes forensic pathology endlessly fascinating. It’s not just about the science—it’s about understanding the raw, unpredictable nature of human behavior.

Every body has a story. In this one, the story was smeared in capsaicin, propelled by adrenaline, and ended in a rural driveway under a Montana sky.

And that’s the end of this Kohroner Chronicle.