Murder suspect returns to Kalispell
Kenton Weimer is escorted off an Alaska Airlines flight Wednesday afternoon by Flathead County Chief Detention Officer Dave Hutton, left, and sheriff’s Det. Travis Bruyer. Weimer was returning from a Seattle hospital to face charges of deliberate homicide in the May 1 death of Tarisia Caron. Weimer suffered serious injuries to his face and jaw after allegedly trying to shoot himself as well. Karen Nichols/Daily Inter Lake
An Evergreen man accused of killing a woman and then turning the shotgun on himself was returned to the Flathead County Detention Center on Wednesday after his release from a Seattle hospital.
Kenton Weimer, 18, arrived on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Glacier Park International Airport at about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.
Weimer is charged in Flathead County with deliberate homicide for causing the May 1 death of Tarisia Caron, 18, also of Evergreen.
Caron was killed early on the morning of May 1 by a shotgun wound to her head. Weimer then allegedly shot himself in the head with the same 12-gauge shotgun, but ended up with serious injuries to his jaw and lower part of his face.
Weimer was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle hours after authorities found him next to Caron's body in the yard of the home he shared with his father, Rick Weimer, and Vicki Gunderson.
Since being transported to Seattle for medical treatment, Weimer has remained either under guard in the hospital undergoing a series of surgeries or in the King County jail.
And because the Flathead County Sheriff's Office is responsible for the health care needs of its prisoners, Flathead County taxpayers could have been stuck with the bill for Weimer's extensive hospital stay and multiple surgeries.
The sheriff's office annual budget for prisoner medical care is $300,000. Paying for Weimer's medical expenses would have wiped that out, said Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan.
However, Weimer's medical bills will ultimately be covered by his father's health insurance, Meehan added.
In addition, Seattle police provided round-the-clock guards free of charge while Weimer was in the hospital, Meehan said.
Weimer remained in custody there under a Washington state warrant identifying him as a fugitive from justice for the Flathead County homicide charge.
Deputies said the shooting occurred just before 4:17 a.m. in the Meadow Manor Mobile Home Park on Shady Lane. Another Meadow Manor resident phoned 911 to report hearing two gunshots, but could not positively identify where they originated.
Officers responded but could not find anything before leaving the scene about 10 minutes later.
At 4:49 a.m. dispatchers received a second call from someone unable to speak, who turned out to be Weimer. By using a system of tapping to answer the dispatcher's questions, he directed emergency responders to the home.
The two young people, who Caron's mother said had been dating off-and-on for the past six months, reportedly had argued loudly enough to waken Gunderson sometime around 3 a.m.
Both Weimer and Caron reportedly logged on to the MySpace.com profiles registered under their names just hours earlier.
If convicted, and aggravating circumstances are found, Weimer could face up to 110 years or life in prison.
Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com