Man accused of killing his mother pleads not guilty

Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set a trial date of Feb. 26 for a Polson man accused of killing his mother. Garrett Vaska, 46, entered a plea of not guilty in Polson District Court Sept. 28. to felony charges of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and deliberate homicide committed with a dangerous weapon.

According to charging documents, sometime between Aug. 28 and Sept. 6, Vaska stabbed his mother, Phillista St. John, multiple times causing her death. He then attempted to conceal her body by putting it in garbage bags, which were stored under blankets in a room of her residence where the body remained for several days.

Investigators had noted that the body had started to decompose. Pillows and other bedding were covered in a large amount of blood, inconsistent with a natural death.

A bloody knife with a missing tip on its blade was located within the home along with several other knives. A tip of a knife was located in the victim’s skull during an autopsy.

The investigation began with a welfare check by healthcare providers with the Confederated and Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Suspicious circumstances led the healthcare providers to contact law enforcement which resulted in the discovery of St. John’s body.

Investigators say they also found a handwritten note that reads, “I couldn’t do it anymore. Nobody would help me and I couldn’t do it anymore she wouldn’t (unintelligible handwriting) I killed her. Nobody knew and no one cared. I’m sorry everything I have goes (unintelligible handwriting) my daughter.”

Vaska remains in the Lake County Jail with bond set at $250,000.