Accused killer pleads not guilty

SANDPOINT — A Tennessee man indicted for the murder of his wife in Bonner County 14 years ago pleaded not guilty on Monday, 1st District Court records show.

Stephen Mathew Lott’s pleas to first-degree murder and failing to notify a coroner of a death sets the stage for an eight-day jury trial in January 2019. A pretrial conference in the case is set for December.

Lott, 48, faces lifelong imprisonment if convicted of the premeditated killing of the mother of his three children in March 2004. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of failing to notify the coroner of his wife’s death, according to Idaho Code.

Lott remains held at the Bonner County Jail with bail set at $1 million.

Christine Lott’s remains were discovered in a remote forested area east of Coeur d’Alene in February 2016, although Kootenai County authorities did not disclose the discovery until late 2017. The cause of her death is undetermined, according to Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall.

Stephen Lott had long been a suspect in his wife’s disappearance, sheriff’s officials have said. Family members told investigators that Christine Lott was a dedicated mother who would never abandon her kids.

Stephen Lott told investigators that he last saw his wife get into a pickup truck outside a Priest River grocery store after she used a pay phone. However, sheriff’s investigators discovered a letter written in June in which he tried to pass off his wife’s death to family members as a suicide.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.