Murderer's parole hearing scheduled for May 31

A new parole hearing has been scheduled for Friday, May 31, in Deer Lodge for the man sentenced for murdering his wife in Kalispell in 1979.

Jerry Forsyth was sentenced in June 1986 to 110 years in prison after he was convicted of planning and killing his wife Karen (Kienas) Forsyth at the Skyline Bowling Alley. Forsyth planned the crime with his friend Douglas Richards to make it appear to be a burglary gone bad.

Forsyth’s requests for parole were denied in 2002 and again in 2007. A parole hearing scheduled for last year was postponed.

Flathead County District Court Judge Ted Lympus was the prosecutor at the time and called the murder “chillingly premeditated” at one of Forsyth’s earlier parole hearings.

Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan, who plans to attend the May 31 hearing, called Forsyth an “unrepentant, recalcitrant bastard.”

To comment on Forsyth’s parole request, contact the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole by calling 406-846-1404 or e-mailing jpribnow@mt.gov or mailing State of Montana Board of Pardons and Parole, 1002 Hollenbeck Road, Deer Lodge MT 59722.