HELENA — A Helena man convicted of shooting and injuring two people in 2022 is set to spend decades in prison, after a sentencing Wednesday morning.
Jory Songer, 26, told District Judge Mike Menahan and members of the public he regretted his actions and the impacts caused to the victims and their families.
“The actions that I chose to do that night caused a lot of people pain and sorrow, both to the victim's families and the community – and my family as well,” he said. “It is only now that I understand how big of a ripple effect my actions has caused to everyone around me.”
(Watch the video to hear more from Songer's sentencing hearing.)
In February, a jury found Songer guilty on two counts of attempted deliberate homicide and two counts of felony assault with a weapon. On Wednesday, Menahan sentenced him to 100 years in prison for each attempted homicide charge and 20 years for each assault charge. Those sentences will all run at the same time, rather than back-to-back.
“I think 100 years in prison is a recognition that this is a very serious case that has had a major impact on the people involved,” Menahan said.
In August 2022, prosecutors say a group of people were talking outside a residence in Helena’s Stewart Homes complex, when a masked man approached them, shot at them, then fled. One man was hit in the thigh, and another in the forearm.
Songer’s attorneys argued everyone involved in the incident that night was afraid, and that Songer fired in part because the group was coming toward him.
During Wednesday’s sentencing, the judge heard impact statements from family members of the two victims. They talked about ongoing physical and mental issues the men have faced in the years since the shooting. The man shot in the arm lost the use of his hand and was no longer able to work in his construction job. The man shot in the leg reported lingering pain and psychological impacts.
“These are life-altering events,” Menahan said.
This is the second time Songer has been sentenced on these charges. A jury convicted him on all four counts in May 2023, and Menahan gave him the same sentence that July. However, the Montana Supreme Court ordered a new trial, ruling that the court had improperly allowed one of the main witnesses against Songer to testify in a video deposition instead of in person, without providing enough evidence that it was necessary.
Lewis and Clark County Attorney Kevin Downs argued Songer should receive the maximum penalty allowed, citing his previous criminal history and what he considered little evidence of remorse.
“His actions cannot and should not be tolerated by anyone,” he said. “This sentence also serves as a deterrent for anybody else who comes here and thinks they can walk around shooting people – that's just not okay, and they should be held up, locked up for a long time.”
Cole Kostelny, an attorney representing Songer, asked the judge to sentence him to 60 years on the attempted homicide charges and 10 years on the assault charges. He said Songer had grown more mature in the years since the shooting, that his behavior in jail had improved and that he was serious about his regret for what happened.
“He's asking for forgiveness, not a second chance – but I do think he deserves a second chance somewhere down the line,” said Kostelny.
Menahan said the sentence he decided on would keep Songer in prison for a long time, but eventually give him a chance to make his case to the parole board that he’s ready to return to society. Songer could be eligible for parole after serving 25 years, a quarter of his sentence.
“This is not a life sentence for him,” said Menahan. “This is a sentence that takes into consideration the magnitude of and gravity of the crime, but it's one that gives him an opportunity for hope as well.”
