Wood's trial set to begin January 19

The trial of Danielle Wood, a former Thompson Falls woman charged with deliberate homicide in the death of Matt LaFrieniere, is set to begin Jan. 19. Court officials this week held a pre-trial conference with Judge Deborah "Kim" Christopher.

Wood appeared in 20th District Judicial Court with her attorney on Tuesday. Attorneys addressed concerns and discussed how to conduct the trial while following COVID-19 protocols in the courtroom at the Sanders County Courthouse. The trial is expected to last 1-2 weeks.

The defense, prosecution, judge's staff and court officials on Tuesday finalized the plan for the trial.

Judge Christopher said that the public will not be allowed in the courtroom during the trial, but an option will be avaialble to watch the trial online. More information on how to view the trial will be published in next week's Ledger.

The defense attorneys expressed concerns with having witnesses appear online instead of in-person. Specific examples included that they could not verify whether or not there was someone in the room to coach the witness through their testimony.

Wood has been held in the Lake County Jail since her arrest March 20, 2019. Wood's trial was initial scheduled for July 2020, but has been continued four times. Wood was living in Polson at the time of her arrest.

Fifty-one-year-old LaFriniere, Wood's ex-boyfriend, was found dead at his home east of Thompson Falls in May 2018 with gunshot wounds in his chest, back and hand.