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Suspect charged with killing two Bigfork residents

Two people were found dead in their home in October 2022
Derrick James Jackson (February 8, 2023)
Posted at 1:25 PM, Feb 08, 2023
and last updated 2023-02-08 19:16:39-05

KALISPELL — Prosecutors have charged Derrick James Jackson with the murders of 65-year-old Stanley Allen Grotberg and 62-year-old Tricia Lynn Demotts at their home in Bigfork.

Jackson has been charged with two counts of deliberate homicide, one count each of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and criminal possession of dangerous drugs.

According to charging documents, Flathead County Sheriff's deputies took Jackson into custody on October 28 after receiving reports of an armed man breaking into homes on Esteban Lane in Bigfork.

Deputies found Jackson holding a power drill on the Estaban Lane property. He told deputies he was looking for relatives in the area but couldn't say why he was in that specific area.

Derrick James Jackson
Derrick James Jackson

A search turned up a loaded magazine for a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol and a prescription bottle with Grotberg's name on it.

Deputies said in charging documents they returned to Esteban Lane to track down Grotberg.

They found Grotberg's vehicle in the driveway and saw lights on in the home, but no one answered the door.

Deputies then discovered the bodies of Grotberg and Demotts in a bedroom, surrounded by blood and .40 caliber casings.

An autopsy determined both people died after being shot in the head.

Throughout the investigation, Jackson told detectives he lived with Grotberg and Demotts but declined to speak further with authorities.

Jackson is currently being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on $1.5 million bail.

He is expected to make his initial appearance Wednesday.


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