The German exchange student shot dead by a Montana homeowner who thought he was trespassing might have been looking for alcohol when he entered the shooter's garage, according to an affidavit filed Monday by Missoula prosecutors.
Diren Dede, 17, was killed the night of April 27 after he entered Markus Kaarma's garage, who shot him multiple times thinking his home was being intruded after his sensors went off. Prosecutors say Kaarma intentionally set a trap to lure trespassers and have charged him with deliberate homicide.
According to the affidavit, the foreign exchange student entered the garage while another boy, Robby Pazmino, remained outside, the Missoulian reported.
Pazmino told Missoula police that Dede went into the garage in search of alcohol, according to the affidavit obtained by the Missoulian.
Pazmino, an exchange student from Ecuador, told police he and Dede heard about a game called "garage hopping" or "garage shopping," from local teenagers and have done it several times before. In the past Pazmino and Dede usually stayed in the car while others went into garages, according to the affidavit.
Police were able to confirm that Dede and Pazmino were not the ones who burglarized Kaarma's garage twice before. Two other teenagers have since confessed to stealing several items from Kaarma's garage, including a jar of marijuana and a bong, the Missoulian reported.
Kaarma, 29, allegedly told a hairdresser prior to the shooting that he had stayed up for three nights in a row "waiting with his shotgun for some kids to come back into his garage again," according to the affidavit.
Kaarma has been out on $30,000 bail after his appearance in Missoula Justice Court at the end of last month.
Dede, who attended Big Sky High School, was laid to rest on May 4 after his funeral in Hamburg. More than 500 people showed up to pay their last respects to the teenager, according to the Daily Mail.
