GREAT FALLS — The Montana Department of Justice has charged a Hill County man with one count of deliberate homicide in the case of a 2019 murder on the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation.
James Richard Michael Lowrance, 35, is accused of the murder of William Bernard Hobbins.
According to the press release, in September 2019, a Rocky Boy Police Officer heard gunshots while on duty. When he arrived on scene, he found William Hobbins lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds.
Prosecutors say the same day of the shooting, Lowrance allegedly told investigators he and Hobbins left a party together and that Hobbins eventually jumped out of the car before Hobbins threatened to hit Lowrance with a rock if he did not leave. Lowrance said he left Hobbins in the road.
Multiple interviews were conducted with witnesses who said they were with Hobbins and Lowrance prior to the shooting. Statements claim two were partying and had been fighting before the last time they were seen together.
Investigators searched Lowrance’s car, where they found a receipt for .357 Magnum ammunition and recovered a fired cartridge casing that matched four other casings at the scene. Forensics determined that all five casings were fired from the same gun.
In October 2019, investigators interviewed Lowrance, where he denied killing Hobbins. However, he allegedly admitted to buying ammunition for the pistol in Great Falls.
In March 2026, a Montana Division of Criminal Investigation Agent interviewed a man who says he sold a Taurus .357 revolver to Lowrance 12 days before the shooting.
The prosecution of this case is led by Assistant Attorney General Thorin Geist. The investigation was conducted by the Montana Department of Justice’s Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science divisions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rocky Boy Police Department, and the Hill County Sheriff’s Office.
