BILLINGS — Morgan Wilson thought justice had been served when her assailant was convicted and sentenced in a 2022 assault case. But nearly two years later, the woman who violently attacked her has never spent a single day behind bars for the crime.
The reason: an appeal that moved the case into Yellowstone County’s overburdened district court system, where it sat unresolved for more than 700 days.
Wilson, who has since moved out of Montana, says the experience has left her shaken and frustrated — both with the attack itself and with what she describes as a failure of the justice system to protect her.
“She kicked me in the back of the head, a few times,” Wilson said. “I had bruises all over my neck, head, I had her claw marks in my wrist. The whole side of my face was completely swollen.”
The July 2022 assault at a downtown Billings bar was captured on video. Wilson says it happened when an acquaintance, Kelly Navarro, became jealous over a relationship.
“Once it was all done, I was sitting on the floor spitting up the blood and blacking out again,” she said.
Navarro was charged and sentenced to six months in jail. But instead of serving time, she filed an appeal, which moved the case from municipal to district court — where it stalled for over 700 days according to Wilson.
“Unfortunately for this Navarro case, I just let it get away from me,” said Yellowstone County District Judge Brett Linneweber.
Linneweber acknowledged the lengthy delay and said the case wasn’t prioritized because Wilson moved out of state and Navarro wasn’t in custody during the appeal.
“Ms. Navarro’s case got bumped to the end of the priority because the victim moved out of state,” Linneweber said. “And by me staying the incarceration, the defendant wasn’t prejudiced either, so I had to weigh priorities.”
The case highlights what Linneweber and other officials say is a growing problem in Yellowstone County: a court system operating far beyond capacity.
“Yes, that’s correct. We do have a backlog,” Linneweber said.
Data from the Montana Judicial Branch shows Judge Linneweber is moving cases through his court at a pace higher than the average for judges statewide.
Yellowstone County judges are already stretched thin, with the court system handling 20 percent more cases than any other district in Montana.
A recent study cited by Judge Linneweber found the county would need at least five additional judges to keep up with the caseload.
Linnewebber acknowledged Wilson’s case remained in draft form and was not finalized until after MTN News inquired about its status, but calling the situation an anomaly.
“I actually did a little research to see if I had any other pending cases, because I didn’t want it to be a problem,” Linneweber said.
For Wilson, the court’s inaction has had lasting consequences.
“This wasn’t just a little assault,” she said. “This was huge, and it could have been life threatening.”
She said the trauma of the attack — and the long delay in resolution — forced her to leave Montana.
“Billings is no longer my home because of what happened… I no longer feel safe here.”
MTN News reached out to Navarro, who declined to comment for the story.
However, according to court filings, Navarro's attorneys previously stated in court records she feared bias from the judge presiding over her case, which led to her decision to appeal.
Yellowstone County is slated to receive two additional district court judges following legislative approval this year.
Judge Linneweber added that attorneys and parties involved in stalled cases have the option of filing a “notice of issue” to formally flag delays for court attention.
