PALMER — A 52-year-old Palmer man is facing murder charges in the death of his mother last weekend.
Police arrested Chad Kaska on Sunday on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, according to a criminal complaint.
Officers discovered the woman’s body after a family member reported finding her on the floor on Sunday morning, according to a sworn affidavit filed by detective Sgt. Matthew Moore, a detective with the Palmer Police Department. They found the woman in a bedroom and a knife in another bedroom belonging to Kaska, as well as evidence of blood in numerous areas of the home, the affidavit said.
Kaska had apparently locked all the doors and later told police “someone had murdered his mom and he tried to save her,” Moore wrote. Kaska also blamed others including police and medics, he wrote. A washing machine was running when officers arrived, according to the affidavit.
Kaska was already known to law enforcement for having episodes of mental illness, it said.
Kaska had his first court appearance on Tuesday on charges that now also include second-degree murder, according to a state database. The public defender assigned to his case could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
The case marks the second suspicious death in Palmer to take place in the first week of January. Police on Jan. 5 arrested a 29-year-old woman on manslaughter charges in the death of her girlfriend at a Palmer home.