Update 5 p.m.
A jury found 31-year-old Jacob Troxel of Billings guilty in the shooting death of 29-year-old Michael Duran.
The ruling was handed down just before 5 p.m. at the Yellowstone County courthouse.
Sentencing will be held in 60 to 90 days.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
(initial report) BILLINGS — Jury deliberation began Monday morning inside the Yellowstone County courthouse and continued late into the afternoon regarding a road-rage case that turned fatal in August of 2022.
The case centers on the death of 29-year-old Michael Duran, who was shot and killed by 31-year-old Jacob Troxel after a heated argument between the two turned physical, which all escalated from a road rage dispute. The incident was caught by KTVQ's surveillance footage.
On Monday morning, the courtroom was tense as both sides presented closing arguments following the week-long trial.
Yellowstone County Deputy Prosecutor Emily Jo Roark began the closing arguments, suggesting that Troxel's actions were unprovoked and unnecessary.
“Michael Duran was murdered for no reason,” Roark said to the jury. "His murder was senseless."
Defense attorney Sarah Kottke argued that Troxel was justified in using force, emphasizing that the incident was a clear case of self-defense.
“We told you in opening that this was a case of self-defense and that’s exactly what you saw,” Kottke said. "Ladies and gentlemen, you spent the week watching a case of smoke and mirrors. The state has attempted to distract you of the facts of this case."
On the surveillance video, Troxel and Duran argue for about seven minutes. Troxel shoves and punches Duran throughout the altercation, before backing away and getting in his vehicle. At that point, Duran approaches Troxel's vehicle, and within about a minute of doing so he falls to the ground after being shot.
Kottke said that when Duran re-engaged in the dispute, he was violently attacking Troxel through the car window, and Troxel didn't have a choice.
“From the moment both men turned their backs and disengaged, and Michael Duran chased after Jacob while he was in his car, this was not a fair fight,” Kottke said.
Roark, on the other hand, accused Troxel of constructing a false narrative after the shooting, claiming that Troxel was attempting to paint Duran as the aggressor when he initiated most of the physicality.
“After killing Michael, the defendant started manufacturing his defense by painting Michael as the villain,” Roark argued. "Michael wasn’t looking for a fight that day, but the defendant was. If it wasn't Michael, it would've been somebody else."
Just before noon on Monday, the jury was left with the task of determining whether Troxel’s actions were motivated by self-defense or whether they amounted to deliberate homicide. If he's found guilty, Troxel could face life in prison.
As of late Monday afternoon, deliberations were ongoing.
