Big Sky Times

HELENA – A Three Forks man, Zachary Eugene Norman, has been found guilty of deliberate homicide in a case that shocked the community. The verdict was delivered by a judge in Gallatin County District Court, as announced by Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

Norman, 26, was convicted of the murder of Chase Eastbrook in January of 2022. The judge found Norman guilty on one count of deliberate homicide with a weapons enhancement. Despite this conviction, Norman was found not guilty on another deliberate homicide charge related to the death of Chase's brother, Brendan Eastbrook, who prosecutors say died protecting Chase. Norman now faces a potential sentence of up to 110 years in prison for the homicide conviction.

This is not the first time Norman has faced legal consequences in connection to this case. Last year, in July 2023, he was also found guilty on two counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. As a result, prosecutors are seeking an additional 10 years to be added to his sentence for those charges.

The prosecution presented a strong case, relying on testimony from more than 25 witnesses and crucial evidence such as Norman's clothes found in the bathtub, the double stacked pistol seized from his residence, which was linked to the wounds found on both victims, and video footage from various locations. Assistant Attorneys General Jordan Salo and Mike Gee led the prosecution, while the investigation was carried out by the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office with support from the Bozeman Police Department and Special Response Team.