Whitefish woman pleads guilty to stabbing husband

A Whitefish woman has pleaded guilty to stabbing her husband during an argument at the couple’s home last year.

AnnMari Newton, 39, pleaded guilty to negligent homicide as part of a plea agreement Aug. 28 in Flathead District Court.

Newton allegedly stabbed her husband, Chad Newton, in the chest last November. Chad Newton was unresponsive until the end of December, when his family removed him from life support.

Prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 20 years, with 15 years suspended, to the Montana Department of Corrections when Newton is sentenced in October.

AnnMari Newton was originally charged with assault with a weapon, but after her husband’s death the charge was changed to mitigated deliberate homicide and an alternative charge of negligent homicide. She can be convicted of only one of those charges.

Newton originally pleaded not guilty in January to the charges. She was released on her own recognizance, but was required to wear a GPS tracking device.

According to court documents, Eirik Jorgensen, a man who had been staying with the Newtons, said the couple had been arguing for several days prior to the stabbing and had been drinking “more and more.”

Jorgensen told a detective that the couple had been arguing since the beginning of the day when the stabbing occurred, and at one point he walked into the kitchen to find AnnMari Newton holding a large knife, facing her husband.

Documents state that Jorgensen told AnnMari to put down the knife and she told him to shut up. He also allegedly heard Chad Newton threaten to kill his wife if she stabbed him.

Jorgensen told police that his back was turned when he heard a scream. He turned to see Chad Newton lying face down and bleeding.

AnnMari Newton, according to documents, told a detective she stabbed her husband accidentally when she made a stabbing motion with the knife intended to get him to back off and she did not realize he was standing so close to her.

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 30. Negligent homicide carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.