Convicted killer Ryan Cody Lamb was denied parole at a hearing last month.

According to Montana Board of Parole and Pardons, Lamb, 41, was told he’d serve at least another year in the state prison in Deer Lodge following a July 29 hearing.

Lamb stabbed his then-boyfriend Ryan Nixon, 31, a former Libby resident, to death with a pair of scissors at a Two Mile Drive apartment complex in Kalispell during the early-morning hours of Aug. 5, 2018.

Lamb has been eligible for parole since 2021 after he was sentenced Feb. 12, 2020 to 10 years by now-retired Flathead County District Court Judge Robert Allison.

Board officials recommended Lamb complete Integrated Correctional Program Model programming. It also encouraged Lamb to participate in any available programming addressing domestic violence. 

According to the official record, the board denied Lamb parole due to the nature of and severity of the offense and cited a strong objection from citizens. It also indicated parole would unduly diminish the impact and seriousness of the offense and Lamb’s continued need for programming.

Lamb, a former Whitefish resident, entered a plea of guilty by way of Alford to negligent homicide Dec. 11, 2019.

At the time, Flathead County Attorney Travis Ahner sought a 10-year sentence to the Montana State Prison while Lamb’s attorney, Emily Lamson, sought a 10 year-suspended sentence.

Lamb initially faced a deliberate homicide charge, but a hung jury and mistrial during a nine-day jury trial in June 2019 led prosecutors to file an amended charge of negligent homicide.

Allison declared a mistrial after jurors couldn’t decide on a verdict after 13 hours of deliberations. Jurors first voted 8-4 for not guilty, then 11-1.

At Lamb’s sentencing five and a half years ago, dozens of friends and family of Nixon spoke of their loved one.

Nixon’s mother, Lynn Nixon, and father, Randy Nixon, as well as his younger sister, Amber Nixon Pederson, were among those who shared their feelings about Lamb.

“What kind of person are you?” Lynn Nixon asked as she glared at Lamb. “He would have never done this to you. Shame on you. Honestly, shame on you Ryan Lamb. I’ve seen no sympathy, no regret. My son is in an urn in my home and that’s all I have left.”