BILLINGS — A jury found a Billings man guilty on Thursday of deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence in a fatal shooting outside a Billings nightclub in 2023.

Xavier Thanae Buffalo was facing two felony charges after shooting 21-year-old Beau Harlan Beaumont on Feb. 12, 2023, in the parking lot outside America's Wild West on Southgate Drive.

The trial began on Monday, and the jury deliberated for a few hours Thursday afternoon before reaching a verdict around 5 p.m.

Defense attorneys argued on Thursday morning that Buffalo should be charged with tampering with evidence, but they did say that Buffalo acted in self-defense and was under emotional and mental stress due to Beaumont choking his neck.

"You might agree with the state that Xavier was the aggressor, again, maybe so, but

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