Mistrial declared in case against Boundary County man accused of killing wife

A judge declared a mistrial this week after a jury couldn’t reach a verdict in a case against a Boundary County man accused of killing his wife and setting their Moyie Springs cabin on fire in 2020.

Shannon P. Dabbs, 59, is charged with suspicion of second-degree murder and first-degree arson in the killing of Susan Dabbs.

The trial lasted a little over six days, commencing Jan. 6 and concluding Tuesday, according to Boundary County Prosecutor Andrakay Pluid. The jury deliberated Tuesday and Wednesday before reporting it was deadlocked and unable to reach a resolution, Pluid said.

Pluid said 10 jurors voted guilty and two were undecided. First District Judge Lamont Berecz declared a mistrial.

Pluid said a mistrial is always disappointing because of the time and expense put into a case, but that it happens sometimes.

“It is what it is,” she said.

Dabbs has claimed self-defense, saying his wife pulled a gun on him first, right after lighting their bed on fire. They were arguing over their impending divorce in 2020.

Prosecutors have argued that Dabbs’ story doesn’t add up.

An autopsy found that Susan Dabbs had no smoke in her lungs, that Shannon Dabbs’ description of how quickly the blaze grew was implausible and that Dabbs’ clothes when confronted by police on the evening of Sept. 22, 2020, didn’t smell like smoke.

Dabbs was arrested nearly three years after the killing. Pluid said he’s been out on bond with an ankle monitor for over a year.

Pluid told The Spokesman-Review in 2023 the delay in charging Dabbs was due to the complex nature of the case and Pluid’s desire to conduct a trial quickly.

“With this case, there was a great deal of investigation that was needed to prove or disprove the defendant’s version of events that he had given to law enforcement,” Pluid said.

A status conference is set for Feb. 6 in front of Berecz. Pluid said discussion at the hearing will include next steps and setting a new trial date.