Widow of cold case murder suspect speaks out

The wife of the man authorities say raped and murdered a 15-year-old Belgrade girl in 1996 has spoken out. 

Kristi Hutchinson is the wife of Paul Hutchinson, who on Thursday Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer named as the perpetrator of the long-unsolved death of Danielle “Danni” Houchins at a popular fishing access site west of Bozeman. 

Hutchinson, 55, of Dillon, died by suicide in the early morning hours of July 24, less than 10 hours after Gallatin County investigators first interviewed him about Houchins’ death. 

In the days after Hutchinson’s death, a notice was posted on Legacy.com and on the website of the Brundage Funeral Home that an obituary would be forthcoming. On Aug. 8, the same day Springer announced to the public the news that DNA evidence from Houchin’s body tied Hutchinson to the crime, Hutchinson’s obituary was briefly posted. 

On Friday, Hutchinson’s obituary was replaced with a message from his wife that read in full:

“We are absolutely heartbroken to learn this news, and our hearts go out to the Houchins family. It is good to know that they will at last be able to find the closure that they deserve. Our own family was already reeling from dealing with Paul’s suicide. In 24 years of marriage there was never any hint that something like this could be lurking in the background. Paul was an exceptional husband and father. This latest news makes our grieving so much more complicated. We would appreciate being given the space to process and come to terms with this development as we mourn.”

A message from the funeral home was appended to Kristi Hutchinson’s message. That message, unedited, reads in full:

“On behalf of Brundage Funeral Home, we would like to acknowledge the thoughts and sentiments of everyone that is trying to post to Paul’ Obituary. And these are all valid feelings. We would also like to express our deepest sympathy for Dani’s family for their loss and hope that they are able to find closure for this heinous event. For everyone, please understand that the position of a funeral home is NOT to sit in judgement of anyone, but to support the families that are left to pick to the pieces of this or any other events in life. The family of Paul are also now trying to figure out how to move forward and pick up the pieces of their lives, that they now question. The wife and children were not aware of any crimes that have happened prior to them and are also reeling from this news. The funeral home would ask that everyone please understand that we DO NOT condone what happened in 1996, or any other crimes he may have committed. But respect our obligation to our families we serve, and will give the same dedication, dignity and respect to ALL the families we serve. Thank you for your understanding.”

A call to the funeral director late Friday was not immediately returned. 

Hutchinson, who authorities say was previously unknown to law enforcement, was a longtime fisheries biologist for the Bureau of Land Management based in the agency’s Dillon Field Office. He moved to Bozeman in September 1996 to enroll in a graduate program at Montana State University. Houchins’ body was found 

 face down in a shallow pool of water around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, 1996. Investigators had various suspects over the years, but evidence from the scene had eliminated most of them. 

The case remained cold until new DNA technology and genetic genealogy provided authorities with a new lead. Hutchinson was identified as a “person of interest” about two months ago, according to Tom Elfmont, a former Los Angeles Police Department captain now living near Bozeman, whom Springer deputized in March 2023 to reinvestigate the case. 

Elmont and another detective, Court Depweg of the Newport Beach Police Department, a specialist in using DNA technology to solve homicides, interviewed Hutchinson on July 23, Springer said. 

Springer told the public and members of the media during a press conference Thursday that after the interview, Hutchinson acted erratically and drove his truck in such as manner that it appeared he was “performing counter-surveillance” or “clearing his tail.” Springer said at one point Hutchinson returned to his home and retrieved a 38-caliber derringer pistol. At around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, July 24, Hutchinson called 911 and reported that he needed officer assistance, and then hung up the phone before taking his own life along a roadway west of Dillon. 

Springer told reporters Thursday that investigators did not have enough evidence to take Hutchinson into custody prior to the interview, and so they made the “strategic” decision to interview him without arresting him or reading him his Miranda warning. DNA collected from Hutchinson after his death matched the DNA from evidence found on Houchins’ body, giving investigators what they said was “100% confidence” that Hutchinson was the killer. 

“Montana has very strict individual rights laws, and at the moment that we interviewed him, we did not have confirmation that that was his DNA,” Springer said in an interview. “He confirmed it before we actually got the confirmation when he took his own life.”