Father of murdered brothers makes surprising admission during Norman sentencing trial

(Updated at 9:56 p.m., 06/17/24)

BOZEMAN — Zachary Norman, the man accused of fatally shooting two brothers in Three Forks on Jan. 15, 2022, has been sentenced after being found guilty of deliberate homicide in the death of Chase Estabrook.

District Court Judge John Brown sentenced Norman, 25, to 100 years in the Montana State Prison for voluntary manslaughter on Monday, June 17, 2024.

Watch Norman's sentence fall in Judge Brown's courtroom:

WATCH: Sentencing of Three Forks man found guilty of voluntary manslaughter

Family members of the Estabrook brothers took the stand during the sentencing trial to address Norman.

“If you ever come out of prison in anything other than a casket, I hope and pray that you are afraid of constantly looking over your shoulder,” said Kim Finn, mother of Chase and Brendan Estabrook.

But when the brothers' father, Roger Estabrook, took the stand, things took an unexpected turn.

Roger Estabrook shared his intention to kill Norman before suddenly changing his mind. Roger said he brought a makeshift rod into the courtroom during Norman's trial, hiding it somewhere, in an attempt to kill Norman in revenge.

Law enforcement escorted Roger and eventually cleared the courtroom to search for the weapon. Law enforcement has not confirmed whether or not they found the rod.

When court resumed, Norman took the stand and shared his sympathy for the brothers' family and children.

“It’s been an emotional couple of years,” Norman said. “Two years filled with pain, anger and hatred, and I think all of these emotions are justified and well understood.”

At a trial in April, Judge Brown found Norman not guilty of willful homicide in the death of Chase's brother, Brendan Estabrook. On Monday, Norman was also sentenced to a concurrent sentence of 10 years for tampering with evidence and an additional 10 years for weapons enhancement, to be served consecutively.

Norman initially went to trial in July 2023, resulting in a hung jury on both willful homicide charges. The State refiled the charges, leading to the April bench trial before Judge Brown.

Norman will be eligible for parole in 25 years.