Wood's trial is delayed

The trial of former Thompson Falls resident Danielle Wood, who is charged with deliberate homicide in the death of her ex-boyfriend, Matthew LaFriniere, has been delayed. The trial was set to begin Monday, July 20, at the Sanders County Courthouse in Thompson Falls.

According to court records, Wood's attorney, William Managhan, had a family emergency and filed a motion to continue. Parties involved in the case met last Wednesday, July 15, and there was no objection to delaying the trial.

This is the fourth time Wood's trial has been continued. Wood, who was living in Polson at the time of her arrest, has been held in the Lake County Jail for more than a year since her arrest March 20, 2019.

Fifty-one-year-old LaFriniere was found dead at his home east of Thompson Falls in May 2018 with gunshot wounds in his chest, back and hand. LaFriniere graduated from Thompson Falls High School and was an employee at Empire Builders in Thompson Falls and the Sanders County Sheriff's Office.

District Court Judge Deborah "Kim" Christopher has not yet announced a new date for Wood's trial, but court documents showed a new trial setting order would be filed.