In the spring of 2019, a tragedy unfolded in a Bozeman, Montana mobile home park that ended the life of Cynthia Wills, a 59-year-old Caucasian woman. On April 4th, an argument between Wills and her roommate, 57-year-old William Frederick Bailey, escalated to a fatal conclusion. The two had been living together since 2016, but tensions arose when Bailey discovered Wills was seeing another man.
He confronted her and demanded that she move out of their shared residence in the Wagon Wheel mobile home park.
The verbal altercation intensified, leading Wills to throw an object at Bailey's door before leaving the home. When she returned, the dispute took a deadly turn. Bailey, angered by the situation, retrieved a firearm from his room. As Wills re-entered the dwelling, he fired two shots, striking her in the abdomen. Emergency services were called, and she was rushed to Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital for immediate medical attention. Despite the efforts of the surgical team, Cynthia Wills succumbed to her injuries and passed away the following day.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement arrested William Bailey. He was subsequently charged with deliberate homicide. In court, Bailey admitted to killing Wills. In February of 2020, he pleaded guilty to the charge. During his sentencing in May 2020, a Gallatin County District Judge handed down a sentence of 80 years in Montana State Prison. The judge's decision aimed to ensure that Bailey would likely spend the remainder of his life incarcerated or under state supervision.
