Suspect confesses to Evergreen homicide, documents allege

The suspect of a deadly shooting in Evergreen last week allegedly confessed to the crime during an interview with detectives, court documents filed Wednesday reveal.

Tanner Doyle White, 21, is charged with felony deliberate homicide. He was booked into the Flathead County Detention Center on Jan. 23.

The shooting happened Jan. 17 at 125 Flathead Drive in Evergreen at about 10 p.m., according to charging documents. Law enforcement found the victim, Luke Simpson, 42, dead on the scene.

According to documents, a nearby resident told officers he heard eight or nine shots, and a man say “take that [expletive.]” The witness said he then saw two vehicles leave the scene.

Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino told the Inter Lake that the vehicle description led detectives to identify White as a suspect. White was taken into custody Jan. 23 during a traffic stop by Columbia Falls police.

According to documents, White told detectives during an interview after his arrest that his fiancé was on a date with Simpson prior to the shooting. He allegedly said that he followed Simpson to the residence on Flathead Drive and shot him with a 9mm handgun.

He said he left the scene in a vehicle with his fiancé.

Shell casings from a 9mm gun were found in the driveway, according to charging documents.

If convicted, White is facing a possible sentence of capital punishment or life in prison.

Court records show White was charged with felony assault on a peace officer in August of 2019 after he allegedly head-butted a Flathead County deputy while being arrested on a warrant. The charge was later dismissed with prejudice.

[This story has been updated to correct White's age to 21.]