German exchange student, 17, shot dead by Montana homeowner who had set up trap with purse as 'bait' to catch burglars in his garage

Markus Kaarma, 29, and his wife Janelle Pflaeger reportedly set up sensors outside their garage, put a video monitoring system inside it and left its door open



Pflaeger told investigators that she left personal items in a purse in the garage 'so that they would take it'

Sensors went off on Sunday and the couple went out to the garage

Kaarma fired four shots, killing Diren Dede, 17, a German exchange student

He earlier told a hairstylist that he was waiting up for three nights to 'shoot some f****** kid' with his shotgun



A Montana man was charged in a shooting that killed a 17-year-old exchange student - after he and his wife reportedly set a trap in their garage to catch would-be burglars because of recent thefts.



Markus Kaarma, 29, of Missoula made an initial appearance in Justice Court on Monday but did not enter a plea to the count of felony deliberate homicide filed in the death of Diren Dede, an exchange student from Hamburg, Germany.



Kaarma's attorney, Paul Ryan, said his client feels terrible about the death of the young man, but he was also disappointed that the Missoula County attorney filed the charge.

Victim: Diren Dede, pictured, was a 17-year-old German exchange student reportedly shot after homeowner Markus Kaarma 'set a trap' for burglars in his garage

Court records obtained by KPAX said Kaarma and his wife, Janelle Pflager, had set up sensors outside the garage, a video monitoring system in the garage and left the garage door open.



Pflager said she put personal items that she had cataloged in a purse in the garage 'so that they would take it.'



Early Sunday, the sensors went off, and Kaarma and Pflager looked at the video feed and saw that someone was in the garage.



Kaarma went outside with his shotgun. He told investigators he heard a noise that sounded 'like metal on metal,' and he was afraid the intruder would come out and hurt him. He said he did not see anyone in the darkened garage and did not communicate with anyone before sweeping the garage with four shotgun blasts. Dede was struck in the head and arm and died at a Missoula hospital, court records said.



Kaarma told police he fired high to avoid hitting the car in the garage - but court records showed that three of four shots were aimed low.



He also told investigators 'wanted him to be caught' because 'police can't catch burglars in the act.'



Plager's testimony shows a different version of events.



She told police she heard Kaarma say 'Hey hey' at the garage door and put a shell into his shotgun. She then heard someone say 'Hey' or 'Wait' right before Kaarma fired two shots. As she went to turn on lights, two more shots were fired, according to court records.



Charged: Markus Kaarma, pictured right, did not enter a plea to the count of felony deliberate homicide on Monday

Pflager told police that they had been burglarized two times within the last three weeks, Ryan said.



They were frustrated, on edge and felt someone in their neighborhood was watching them, Ryan said. The couple called police 'and nothing was done,' he said.



Pflager had made a list of the items in the purse so if it was taken she could attempt to track the thief, Ryan said. Despite the recent burglaries, they left the garage door open, prosecutors noted.



'They certainly didn't tell the kid to come in (the garage),' Ryan said. 'He entered voluntarily.'



On Sunday, a woman told investigators that Kaarma had told her that he had been waiting up for three nights with his shotgun to 'shoot some f****** kid, court records said.



Dede was a junior at Big Sky High School, where officials set up brief support for students. Missoula County Public Schools spokeswoman Hatton Littman told Helenair that he was an active and popular student who participated in track and soccer.



'He was a very loved student, especially in the junior class,' she said. 'When he landed...first thing he asked was when are we practicing for soccer.'



Justice of the Peace Karen Orzech set Kaarma's bail at $30,000

Less than two hours before the Missoula shooting, a homeowner 350 miles away in Billings shot and wounded a houseguest he thought was an intruder.



The 19-year-old seminary student was making a phone call in the home's garage late Saturday when he was shot, Billings Police Sgt. Pat Curry told The Billings Gazette.



The student, who was not named, appeared to be shot in the chest, but the injury was not life-threatening, Curry said.

