Incredible as it may seem, Chad McKittrick has never served his sentence for killing wolf 10M. He shot it April 24, 1995, was convicted in October 1995, and sentenced in February 1996. But there are appeals. . .

His appeals have now run out, and it looks like he might actually go to jail and do some time -- something that has been rare for those who have shot wolves in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

McKittrick, who never denied shooting the wolf, appealed to the 9 th U.S. Circuit court. Most folks thought he had paid his debt to society, but only recently did awareness grow that he was still appealing. The 9 th Circuit Court recently rejected his appeal and remanded the case to U.S. Magistrate Richard Anderson, who originally sentenced McKittrick.

In the original trial Anderson said he didn't believe McKittrick's story that he thought he was shooting a big dog. Anderson has now reviewed the trial transcript in response to the 9th Circuit's order and affirmed his original sentence, which was three months in jail and one year of supervised release.  The year of supervision includes three months in a halfway house. McKittrick was also fined $10,000.

It is not clear which interest group footed McKittrick's legal expenses.

Here are some stories on McKittrick:

My stories:
 

• Man charged with killing Yellowstone Wolf no. 10 (5/17/95).
• McKittrick gets six months in the Pen (2/29/96)
• McKittrick asks that his conviction of shooting no. 10 be thrown out (1-31-97)

The Killing of Wolf Number Ten by Thomas McNamee. Outside Magazine. May 1997.