Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
Testimony at the murder trial of James Main Jr. In state District Court in Havre Wednesday included the examination and cross-examination of Melissa R. “Missy” Snow, who last year was sentenced after pleading guilty to a charge of tampering with physical evidence in the case. Snow denied telling people that Main was being set up to take the fall in the incident while crossexamined by defense attorney Kenneth Olson and also denied being influenced into making her testimony by the prosecution. “I’m just saying what I remember,” Snow said. Main is on trial for deliberate homicide in the beating and strangulation death of Lloyd “Lucky” Kvelstad on Nov. 25, 2006. Kvelstad’s body, beaten, with a string tied tightly around his neck and His pants pulled down around his ankles, was found in Snow’s residence about 2 a.m. that day. Snow has pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence at the scene for cleaning up blood in her residence and has been sentenced to three years with the state Department of Corrections with the last year suspended. Kim A. Norquay Jr. Was convicted of a deliberate homicide charge stemming from the incident. Norquay also was convicted of a charge of tampering with physical evidence for washing blood off his shoes later that day. His sentencing is scheduled for March 16. Snow testified that a scuffle occurred after Main and Kvelstad began arguing about the European settlement of the New World, including Main putting his arm around Kvelstad’s neck and choking him until he blacked out. The prosecution is alleging that after several people left the residence following the first fight, including Jason Skidmore, a second assault by Norquay and Main occurred in which Kvelstad was beaten severely and the drawstring of Norquay’s hooded sweatshirt was tied tightly around his neck. Kvelstad died from the injuries sustained at that time, the prosecution contends. The prosecution also alleges that of the people at the residence at that time, only Norquay, Snow and Main had any of Kvelstad’s blood on their clothing. Snow testified about the first fight, although she said she does not remember anything about a second fight. She also said she had been drinking since the morning before the incident occurred, and her memory of the later evening is unclear. Snow did say that one part of the argument preceding the first assault did not seem racially motivated. When Olson asked Snow if Main’s calling Kvelstad “pilgrim” could have been in an imitation of movie actor John Wayne, she said she didn’t know that, but that it did not seem aggressively done. “It was more like a jokingaround thing,” she said. Snow denied telling others that Main was being set up to take the fall for the death of Kvelstad. Olson asked her if she had told a person who was at an addiction treatment facility with her that Main was being set up. She replied that she had never told the person anything about the case. “I knew he was Little Jim (Main’s) cell mate (before he was put into the treatment program,” she said. She denied repeated questions by Olson along the same vein, asking if she had said Main and Lucky had shaken hands after the fight, and if she had seen Norquay and Jason Skidmore having sex with Lucky afterward. Snow said no to all of the questions. She said the same about a visitor to the hotel where she and Main were held after being questioned following the incident. Olson asked Snow if she had told Sheldon Flying that Norquay had strangled Kvelstad, and that Main was being set up. Snow denied discussing anything with Flying. “I don’t even talk to Sheldon. I don’t even like him ” she said. “I wasn’t in the room so I don’t know who did it, and I don’t like that Flying guy, and I don’t talk to him.” Snow also said she does not know if Jason Skidmore returned to her residence after leaving following the first scuffle. After Olson asked Snow if she was pressured into testifying against Main, and asking her about an agreement that her testimony could not be used against her, prosecuting attorney Dan Guzynski questioned her again. Guzyinski asked her if she understood that the agreement required she tell the truth about what happened, and she said she did. He also asked if she had felt pressured when interviewed by an investigator working for the defense, or felt pressured by the prosecution or investigating officers. She said the prosecution and law enforcement had only asked her to tell the truth. She said she did feel pressured by the defense investigator in an interview before the trial. “It just, like, upsetted me,” Snow said. “He did not believe me.”
