Montana

Morning Mix

That Montana double-murder mystery: The handyman did it, police say, not for the gold but for silver

By Yanan Wang December 30 at 4:50 AM
@yananw

After Beverly Giannonatti and her son Gregory vanished without a trace from Deer Lodge, Mont., in late October, speculation swirled over whether their disappearance was linked to a 25-pound gold bar that Beverly was said to have recently acquired.

And during the month they were missing, the small town wondered and worried and, as it turned out, with good reason. Their bodies were found after a month-long search. They were allegedly murdered. Now police say it wasn’t for the gold, valued at $480,000. It was for 1,700 ounces of silver, worth about $26,000, authorities said.

The Powell County Sheriff’s Office has charged a local handyman with stealing the silver, killing the mother and son in a violent fight after being confronted about the theft, and then disposing of their bodies and other evidence in remote locations around Deer Lodge. To obscure the bodies’ location outdoors at a dump site, he covered them with sticks and logs, police say. ... The bar of gold, assuming it ever existed, has yet to be found.

Charged with two counts of deliberate homicide Tuesday was David Wayne Nelson — formerly a “person of interest” — was charged Tuesday with two counts of deliberate homicide. Authorities say Nelson has confessed to the crime. He has a court appearance scheduled for Jan. 5.



David Wayne Nelson. (Montana Department of Corrections)