A Kalispell man arrested earlier this week in the death of a 35-year-old man near Creston has been charged with deliberate homicide.
Robert Matthew Wittal was charged in Flathead County District Court on June 15 and is scheduled to appear at an arraignment on June 30. Wittal is one of four people arrested this week in connection with the death of Wade Allen Rautio of Kalispell around Memorial Day Weekend.
Melisa Ann Crone, 29, Christopher Michael Hansen, 28, and David Vincent Toman, 20, were all arrested on Wednesday and are expected to be charged this week. Sheriff Chuck Curry said additional arrests are likely.
According to court documents, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office received information on June 13 about a murder that took place sometime in late May near Echo Lake. Officers responded to the area and found the body of a deceased male with multiple stab wounds. Detectives later talked to multiple witnesses who said they saw Wittal stab Rautio to death sometime between May 15 and May 31.
Another witness told law enforcement that they later saw Wittal burn the clothing he was wearing at the time of the stabbing as well as his cell phone at a residence on South Cedar Drive in Kalispell.
If convicted, Wittal could face life in prison. He is currently being held on $500,000 bond in the Flathead County Detention Center.
In April, Wittal was charged with felony criminal possession of drugs and misdemeanor possession of a concealed weapon.
According to court documents, Wittal was arrested on an out-of-state warrant near a Kalispell bar in December. When he was taken into custody, authorities found a small bag of methamphetamine in his coat pocket. A firearm was also found inside his waistband; he did not have a concealed weapon permit.
Wittal was released on bond in early May and was scheduled to appear at an arraignment on June 2 but, according to court documents, he skipped the hearing.
This story will be updated when additional information becomes available.