Guilty verdict in Dixon homicide trial

The jury trial for a 2018 homicide concluded last Tuesday with a guilty verdict for the charge of deliberate homicide against Cavey Little Rossbach.

On October 5, 2018, the body of William “Bill” Conko-Camel was discovered shot in the road on Frank McClure Street in Dixon. Responding officers were told by the victim’s girlfriend that she and the victim had been visiting another residence when Rossbach burst through the front door and attacked Conko-Camel while shouting accusations, according to charging documents. A fight ensued, during which two other assailants, Preston Rossbach and Ty Butler, entered the home and joined the attack. The altercation moved outside and continued, with the victim allegedly yelling at the assailants with a hammer in hand and the assailants stating they had a gun and were going to get it.

Several witnesses claimed to see Conko-Camel chasing Cavey Rossbach down the street, after which a rifle was retrieved from the Rossbachs’ home. Evidence showed Rossbach then proceeded to shoot Conko-Camel multiple times in the street. One assailant, Butler, later admitted to throwing the rifle in the river after the shooting. In a later interview, Rossbach admitted that following the fight, the three men ran toward his home and claimed that the victim had chased after them, stating he was going to kill Rossbach and his family.

Sentencing for Rossbach was set for June 16, 2022, before Judge Leslie Halligan of Missoula County, who has presided over the case.