A 27-year-old Whitefish man accused of stabbing his father to death in July 2018 is expected to plead guilty “by reason of mental disorder” at a change of plea hearing on Nov. 7.
On Oct. 28, an attorney representing Tanner Lehnen Hosek filed a motion to set a change of plea hearing. The motion notes that a plea agreement calls for Hosek to plead guilty to felony mitigated deliberate homicide. Hosek is expected to appear via video from Montana State Hospital, where he has been committed since last year.
According to court documents and law enforcement, Flathead County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported altercation between two men along Wilderness Lane near Whitefish at approximately 8:30 p.m. on July 9, 2018. When law enforcement arrived they found Eric Kevin Hosek, 65, dead from multiple stab wounds. Officers found and questioned the younger Hosek who, according to court documents, admitted to stabbing his father.
Later that month, Hosek pleaded not guilty to a single count of deliberate homicide.
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.