A backlog at the Montana State Hospital has impeded the case of a Whitefish man accused of stabbing his father to death last summer.
Tanner Lehnen Hosek is accused of murdering Eric Kevin Hosek on July 9, 2018. Hosek pleaded not guilty to a single charge of felony deliberate homicide last summer and was originally set to stand trial in November.
Hosek’s attorneys said during a status hearing on Jan. 24 that the accused has not received a proper mental health evaluation and the trial cannot take place until he does. Judge Robert Allison requested an update on the mental health evaluation during a status hearing scheduled for April 18.
According to court records, Hosek has long struggled with a serious mental health disorder and was living under the ward of his parents. Documents from 2015 note that Hosek was prone to “episodes where his judgment is impaired to the degree that he needs monitoring and supervision for his own safety and protection.” Hosek was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia.