Polebridge murderer up for parole on Tuesday

The Montana Board of Pardons and Parole will hold a parole hearing for the Oklahoma man who tortured and then murdered a North Fork man in 1979 at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 9 a.m.

J.R. Fletcher was convicted of deliberate homicide and sentenced to 100 years in prison for torturing and murdering 72-year-old Roy Cooper at his Polebridge-area home 35 years ago.

In a unanimous decision in 2009, the three-member board cited the severe nature of his crime, his criminal history and the detriment to society and Fletcher himself in denying his parole request.

Pardons and Parole senior parole analyst Julie Thomas said her office has received a number of letters and e-mails opposing Fletcher’s parole. Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan, who testified against Fletcher’s release in 2009, is scheduled to attend the Nov. 22 hearing.

In 1979, Fletcher, his wife Teresa Jean Fletcher and Ronald L. White were attempting to flee to Canada while on the run from Oklahoma, where Fletcher had broken his parole.

The three, who had been drinking and using drugs, got stuck in Cooper’s muddy driveway in Polebridge on April 7, 1979, while heading north through the North Fork Valley. They woke up Cooper for assistance.

Cooper was helping them pull their truck out when the three decided to steal Cooper’s horses and ride to Canada. They forced Cooper to saddle the horses and then held him at gunpoint while they burglarized homes in Polebridge.

The three then held Cooper hostage in his own home, while torturing and robbing him. Fletcher eventually stabbed Cooper, who died from knife wounds to his neck.

Eventually realizing that reaching Canada via the North Fork was a bad idea, the three traveled west, ending up in Idaho where they were arrested after a shoot-out with police officers. Authorities linked the three to Cooper’s murder after they were found holding items from the dead man’s home.

Fletcher was sentenced to 100 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide. The plea agreement at the time allowed him to avoid the death penalty. Fletcher threatened to kill Cooper’s family when he was convicted.

Teresa Fletcher was convicted of mitigated deliberate homicide and has since been paroled. White was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and sentenced to 75 years. He has also been paroled.

According to Montana law, a person “eligible for parole shall be released when there is a reasonable probability that no detriment will result to him or the community.” Board members must also consider the best interests of society and whether they believe the inmate will be able to behave as a law-abiding citizen.

Comments can be mailed to the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole at 1002 Hollenbeck Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722 or e-mailed to Julie Thomas at jpribnow@mt.gov.