Woman charged in connection with murder files to dismiss case

The Kalispell woman charged in connection with the April murder of Anthony Andrew Walthers filed motions June 29 in Flathead District Court to dismiss her case and to suppress a statement.

Heather Joy Meeker, 25, pleaded not guilty to felony tampering with evidence in Flathead District Court in May.

Her attorney, Emily K. Lamson, filed the motion to dismiss the case on the grounds of a lack of probable cause and the motion to suppress for an alleged violation of her Miranda Rights.

According to court documents, Walthers was allegedly pushed from the Old Steel Bridge in Evergreen on April 27 after an argument escalated between he and Cecil Thomas Rice over inappropriate comments Walthers allegedly made about Meeker.

According to witness accounts, Rice allegedly drove a maroon van carrying Walthers, Meeker and a third male to the bridge. The third male contacted law enforcement a day after the incident to inform them he had been with Rice, Meeker and Walthers on the bridge and had heard Walthers go into the water before they got into the van and left the scene.

Court documents state Meeker admitted in an interview to having thrown a backpack she believed belonged to Walthers out of the van as Rice drove away from the scene to conceal it from law enforcement.

Walthers’ remains were recovered in early June when, according to Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry, boaters discovered his body floating about 1.5 miles offshore from the mouth of the Flathead River.

Rice, 26, who is charged with the deliberate homicide of Walthers, pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial Nov. 27.

Meeker is currently scheduled for a jury trial on Aug. 7.

A hearing to address the two motions is scheduled for July 19.

If the motions are denied and she is convicted, Meeker could face up to 10 years in prison and a maximum $50,000 fine.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.