Whitefish man accused of killing father

A Whitefish man accused of killing his father in a Monday-evening dispute had a difficult past, including being diagnosed with schizophrenia, court documents state.

Tanner Lehnen Hosek, 26, is lodged in the Flathead County Jail and faces a felony count of deliberate homicide.

Flathead County law enforcement officials were dispatched at 8:30 p.m. Monday to a reported stabbing in the Whitefish area, according to Sheriff Chuck Curry. The incident occurred outside a residence on Wilderness Lane. A passerby saw a struggle between Tanner Hosek and his father, Eric Kevin Hosek, 65, and called 911.

When deputies arrived, they found Eric Hosek dead with multiple stab wounds, Curry said.

Also present on the scene was Tanner, who lived at the residence. Tanner was first transported to North Valley Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, then to the Flathead County Jail.

The details surrounding the alleged struggle and subsequent homicide remained under investigation Tuesday.

Court documents indicate Tanner has schizophrenia and his parents, Eric and Linda Hosek, were appointed his co-guardians in August 2015 to help care for him.

Tanner was a 2010 Whitefish High School graduate who played soccer at the varsity level.

Court documents indicate that in November 2012 he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession.

Another court document notes that Tanner had attended the University of Montana in 2010, when he first reported his mental-health problems. At one point he was hospitalized at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs.

A July 2015 letter from a social worker who was a part of Tanner’s guardian hearing read, “Tanner remains stable at this time, but if he decides to go off his medications, per history, he is not capable of making rational decisions on his behalf. Eric and Linda Hosek are the most appropriate people to take on this guardianship and will do what it takes to keep Tanner safe.”

According to a listing on the Flathead Valley Community College’s website, Tanner was on the spring 2017 dean’s list.

Eric Hosek was a senior financial consultant with D.A. Davidson & Co., in Whitefish and had been with the company since 2001.

According to a previous Daily Inter Lake story, Hosek and his wife moved to Whitefish in 1981. Eric served on the Whitefish School Board and worked with the Whitefish Education Foundation. In addition, he served as a coach and was active in youth hockey. He also taught for more than 10 years in an outdoor education field.

Reporter Scott Shindledecker can be reached at (406) 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.