MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

Michael Paul Brown, who evaded police for a week, was charged with additional crimes including lighting a fire in an attempt to destroy or damage the bar. BILLINGS, Montana — A Montana man suspected of killing four people at a bar then evading capture for a week was charged on Wednesday with additional crimes, including lighting a fire in an attempt to destroy or damage the bar. State District Judge Jeffrey Dahood ordered Michael Paul Brown to be held without bail after the defendant's attorneys said mental illness could be an issue in the case. The owner of The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, David Gwerder, said Wednesday he was told by investigators that Brown lit a cardboard pizza box on fire hoping to use it as a “fuse” to ignite a bucket of flammable or explosive material. The bucket did not ignite, Gwerder said he was told, and the suspect allegedly left the bar then returned a minute later with a gun and killed the bartender and three customers. Brown, who lived next door, was charged with attempted arson, according to newly-released court documents that said he set objects on fire and tried to damage or destroy the bar “by means of fire or explosives." Brown's family has said the 45-year-old former soldier long struggled with mental illness before the Aug. 1 shooting. Defense attorney Walter Hennessey pleaded not guilty on Brown’s behalf to charges that also include four counts of murder, theft and eluding police. Brown appeared by video from jail in Butte, Montana. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty against Brown for the murder charges is pending, Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith told the court Wednesday. Executions in Montana have been on hold since 2015 in the state under a court ruling regarding a drug used in lethal injections. Bail for Brown previously had been set at $2 million. But Dahood on Wednesday sided with a prosecution request to hold Brown for now without the possibility of bail. The judge cited public safety and the mental health issues raised by Brown's attorneys. The judge set trial for Jan. 12. Anaconda, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Butte, is home to roughly 9,000 people. It is surrounded by mountains. Following the shooting, Brown allegedly stole a truck that he ditched several miles outside of town at the base of a mountain before escaping into the forest. He hid for a week in that area west of Anaconda where he was eventually apprehended, moving locations while helicopters and drones circled overhead and officers and dogs searched on the ground, officials said. Brown was captured on Aug. 8 inside an unoccupied structure near a bar in the small community of Stumptown, authorities said. Investigators also have been examining whether he had any contact with individuals or property owners who might have helped him while he was on the run. Authorities have not commented on a possible motive, and much of the case against Brown has been sealed by the judge. Brown had patronized the bar over several decades and knew the victims, Gwerder said. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.     

Michael Paul Brown is suspected of shooting and killing four people at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana and evading arrest for a week. BILLINGS, Mont. — A man suspected of killing four people at a Montana bar and evading capture for a week while hundreds of law enforcement officers searched for him in the nearby mountains faces four counts of murder, according to court records. Defendant Michael Paul Brown lived next door to The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, where a bartender and three patrons were shot and killed Aug. 1. Authorities have not commented on a potential motive for the 45-year-old former soldier. His niece has said Brown long struggled with mental illness. The charges Brown faces were posted on a court website Saturday after the case previously had been under seal by a state judge. Charging documents were not immediately available. Following the shooting, authorities said Brown stole a truck and then ditched it a few miles outside of town, close to where he was eventually apprehended. He hid in nearby forests, moving locations while helicopters and drones circled overhead and officers and dogs searched on the ground, officials said. But he was eventually flushed into a sparsely populated area near a state highway by the pressure of so many officers searching for him, according to officials. Brown was captured on Aug. 8 inside an unoccupied structure near a state highway. Investigators also are examining whether he had any contact with individuals or property owners who might have helped him while he was on the run. State Department of Justice spokesperson Chase Scheuer said Friday that the probe is ongoing. Brown is scheduled to make an initial district court appearance on Sept. 3. He is being held on $2 million bail and represented by attorney Walter Hennessey, who did not immediately respond to telephone messages on Friday or Saturday. Anaconda, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Butte, is home to roughly 9,000 people. Hemmed in by mountains, it was founded by a copper magnate in the late 1800s. A smelter stack that is no longer operational looms over the valley. The owner of The Owl Bar has said Brown patronized it over the past several decades, but he was not aware of any conflicts between the suspect and victims. A conviction for murder, known in Montana as deliberate homicide, is punishable by death in the state. Executions have been on hold since 2015 under a court ruling regarding a drug used in lethal injections. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.