Man linked to Evergreen homicide enters guilty plea

A man arrested in connection with a fatal shooting in Evergreen last year has pleaded guilty to his role in attempting to cover up the homicide.

Joseph Michael James Malinowski, 28, appeared before Judge Robert Allison in Flathead County District Court on July 20 for a change of plea hearing after striking a deal with prosecutors. Authorities charged the Kalispell man with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, alleging he drove the victim’s vehicle away from the scene after the killing.

Deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responding to the Jan. 17 shooting at 125 Flathead Drive in Evergreen found 42-year-old Luke Simpson dead and 9 mm shell casings in the driveway, court documents said. Authorities later identified Tanner White, 22, as the gunman. He allegedly admitted following Simpson after the other man took his fiancé out on a date and later shooting him. White has since pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide.

White remains in county jail on a $500,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in that case is scheduled for Nov. 2 with a pretrial conference to follow on Nov. 16.

More than two months after the shooting, Malinowski allegedly told detectives that he was with White on the night of the shooting.

Under the terms of the deal, Malinowski will admit violating probation — he was convicted of felony theft in 2021 — plead guilty to the tampering charge and possibly testify in White’s homicide case. In exchange, prosecutors are recommending he receive an eight year sentence with the state Department of Corrections with five years suspended and credit for time served.

Three of those years relate to his probation violation and the remaining five come from the tampering charge, according to the plea agreement filed in district court. Sentencing is set for Sept. 1.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.