A&E’s Cold Case Files: Dead West heads to Montana this week, revisiting a chilling murder case that stretched across state lines and took eight long years to resolve. In 2002, Christian ranch hand Dan Lavigne was gunned down on his porch, leaving a small, rural community reeling and law enforcement facing a wide net of potential suspects.
The initial investigation was hampered by the vastness of the Montana landscape and the close-knit nature of the community. Everyone knew everyone, making it difficult to separate genuine grief from carefully constructed alibis. Deputies interviewed countless individuals, each conversation leading down another winding dirt road of suspicion. But as months turned into years, the trail seemed to grow cold, the killer seemingly vanished into the rugged terrain.
Yet, law enforcement refused to give up. Their dogged pursuit of justice spanned not only Montana but also two other states, a testament to the dedication and persistence required to solve cases in the vast expanse of the American West. Tune in to A&E this Friday at 10:00 PM to see how this intricate, multi-state investigation finally brought a killer to justice.
