MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - A Missoula man has pleaded not guilty to a drug distribution charge filed after an investigation found he stabbed another man to death in self-defense.
Joshua Michael Paniagua, 18, appeared in court Wednesday via video from the Missoula County jail, where he is being held on $25,000 bail, the Missoulian reports.
Paniagua was arrested after Benjamin Mousso, 18, of Hamilton, suffered fatal injuries when he was stabbed during a fight in a casino bathroom on Jan. 1.
Paniagua and others told investigators Mousso had tried to rob Paniagua of drugs and punched him several times before Paniagua pulled his knife, court records said.
Prosecutors said Paniagua threatened to kill a juvenile who was involved in the plot to rob him, leading to an intimidation charge.
Public defender Robert Greenwell asked that Paniagua be released to his family while his case is pending. District Judge Halligan ordered that he be screened for pretrial supervision before she would consider changing his bail amount.
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