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Prosecutors, police and staff outline fatality-review findings and Tanner Grove timeline in Billings
Summary
City prosecutors and staff summarized a local review of six domestic-violence homicides, described systemic patterns (low reporting and declined services) and provided a timeline in the Tanner Grove matter, including missed program enrollments and subsequent warrants.
City legal staff and prosecutors told the Council that a preliminary local review of six domestic-violence homicides shows common patterns: many victims did not report ongoing abuse, declined victim services, and in several cases restraining orders were sought then later dismissed.
"The strangulation statute was a direct result of a 2015 review," prosecutor Ben Halverson said, pointing to past fatality reviews that prompted statutory changes. Halverson outlined the state review process and said the commission issues two-year summaries and recommendations for legislative action.
A city staff reviewer summarized six local cases and then provided a detailed timeline for one defendant, Tanner Grove. According to the account, Grove was convicted of partner/family-member assault in October 2025 and received a five-month jail sentence. He was ordered to enroll in supervised probation services, including SCRAM alcohol monitoring, a chemical-dependency evaluation, mental-health evaluation and 40 hours of domestic-violence programming with an enrollment deadline of March 17, 2026; the reviewer said Grove failed to enroll.
"The city attorney's office received a notice of violation on 03/27/2026, and we filed a petition to revoke that very same day," the staff reviewer said. The reviewer added that felony charges were filed on April 3, 2026, and that multiple warrants (totaling roughly $115,000) were outstanding before the victim's disappearance.
Prosecutors urged legislative changes to reduce risk: Halverson said the state statute contains a drafting error that limits the ability to prohibit convicted abusers from possessing firearms and advocated for restoring that authority. "We need the ability to be able to seize firearms from those convicted people," he said.
Law-enforcement officials described internal reviews and a new team that weekly targets high-risk individuals and serves outstanding warrants; officers said the approach had quickly yielded arrests and that warrant activity will continue alongside standard investigative work.
Council members asked for more data and emphasized the need for prevention programs, victim support and better communication across agencies. Prosecutors and staff said some findings are confidential while cases remain active and that formal commission reviews often await appeal outcomes before public release.
