"In the fog and the white light, I saw him walking down the alley," Marcy said. The case remains open, and numerous efforts have been made to determine the identity of the decedent, including several forensic facial reconstructions of how she may have appeared in life. There wasSelena Mullenax, a young mother studying for her GEDfound shotin a public park on a winter morning. When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. More officers on the streets as with arecently addeddowntown foot patrol,members of which made an arrest in Moren's murder onChristmas Eve make streets safer. Anchorage police think the human remains belong to the woman seen on the memory card, and the medical examiner is working to confirm the connection and the cause of death. ALASKAN MURDER: ENIGMA WITHIN AN ENIGMA - The New York Times [Here are the most-read Alaska Dispatch News stories of 2016]. IE 11 is not supported. Eklutna Annie is the name given to an unidentified murder victim whose body was discovered in a wooded area, one mile south of South Eklutna Lake Road in Eklutna, Anchorage, Alaska, in July 1980. Anchorage police say 8-month-old baby found safe; father arrested on Legal Statement. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "Why life seems harder, why things seem scarier why is that? Authorities who reviewed the SD cards contents said they remembered Smith from another investigation and found he was registered in early September to a room at a local hotel which had the same carpet pattern as the one in the video. With the SD card, one of the first questions that detectives had to answer was, Was this staged, or did this really happen? Paula Zorawski,answered her front dooronly to be shot in the face by people, Anchorage police believe, were hoping to rob her son of marijuana. Smith appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge said he'd be appointed a public defender. (The motion argued that the judge misunderstood the limits on public defenders, who do not choose which charges are filed.). One man, James Dale Ritchie, is the prime suspect in five deaths. Cynthia Hoffman. A 19-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, was allegedly killed by her best friend and several other teen accomplices after they were promised millions of dollars for video evidence of the killing by a man who had catfished them. Brian Smith . You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! (In addition to the 75 criminal attorneys, about 25 more work on appeals and childrens cases.) ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Alaska teens hoping to cash in on a $9 million offer from a Midwest millionaire brutally killed a developmentally disabled woman on a popular trail outside Anchorage, shooting her in the back of the head and dumping her body in a river, authorities allege. LOUISIANA MAN ARRESTED IN 1989 MURDER CASE: POLICE. The Anchorage Police Department has identified the victim as Kathleen J. Henry, 30, according to a statement released Thursday afternoon. ' said APD communications director MJ Thim. The womans body was found last week along the Seward Highway south of the city. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity on a social network account to deceive a specific victim. He isnow charged with murder. Making the decision to leave, to start the processes for divorce or anything like that, that definitely would escalate the situation and increase lethality for that victim, Pearson said. Theres a new fight over Bering Sea black cod. All rights reserved. On that day, close to midnight, 48-year-old Charles Doubek called 911 and told dispatchers his wife had been shot, according to a version of events relayed in an affidavit by Alaska State Trooper investigator Jason Fieser. Videos and photos show brutal attack of woman in Anchorage hotel room In an unusual order, an Alaska judge has declared a crisis in the states courts, saying that turnover among public defenders is delaying criminal trials and denying justice for victims and defendants alike. Read about our approach to external linking. The images showed a naked woman being beaten on the floor of a hotel room, according to the affidavit. It appeared that Smith recorded them himself, according to the affidavit. Incident happened aboard the Emerald Princess cruise ship (file picture), Harry: I always felt different to rest of family, Inside the enclave surrounded by pro-Russia forces, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, Canadian grandma helps police snag phone scammer. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. When troopers arrived, they found Doubek lying just inside the front door. MacDonald denied the request, saying his findings are not an indictment of the Alaska Public Defender Agency nor its attorneys. Police are careful not to blame victims of violent crimes. A woman in Alaska was walking her dog when a moose charged her from behind and kicked her in the head, according to shocking video captured by a bystander. shut down anelementary school and a middle school, don't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause, mother accused of suffocating her infant daughter, killed in a downtown shootout with police, Here are the most-read Alaska Dispatch News stories of 2016. Detectives arrested Smith at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to APD. Anna Bill, a former Mountain Village police officer honored by the Alaska Federation of Natives for her advocacy on behalf of Alaska Native women and children, said the homicide was devastating for the victims family. The State Medical Examiner Office is working to confirm her identity and manner of death. [1], "Identifying [Eklutna Annie] means that no matter how you lived, whatever circumstances that you are in, that even after death, there is an equality here. Veronica Abouchuck, left, and Kathleen Henry. July 27, 2017 / 10:16 AM / CBS News A suspect is in custody Thursday morning after a woman was found dead on a cruise ship in Alaska. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. According to Hansen, he had first attempted to placate Eklutna Annie as he restrained her, falsely claiming he did not intend to harm her, although she responded: "You are! Pilot Projects Launched to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous "James recognized the potential issue and has appropriate (sic) adjusted his behavior to make himself more inviting for others to seek help. The remarks by the veteran judge came in a 37-page order to delay the murder trial of Alexie Walters, a man accused of beating his girlfriend, Gertrude Queenie, to death in 2017 in Mountain Village, on the Yukon River in Southwest Alaska. [5][3][10], An autopsy of Eklutna Annie's body revealed she was petite in stature,[11] and most likely white, although she may have had a degree of Native American heritage. The woman attempted to fight back, the affidavit said. Catfisher Convinced Alaska Teens to Murder a Developmentally Disabled In the years since, he'd helped her live with lasting injuries. The victim was Robert Pfeil, a 55-year-old senior pilot for Alaska Airlines, who was shot from another car as he drove from work on Oct. 12, 1985. For many, it was the year the city's violence hit home,even if they didn't personally know any of the victims. Mystery over woman's murder on Alaska cruise ship - BBC News The Anchorage office is expected to open on August 27. The majority of victims were killed by someone they knew. A handwritten note laid on a nearby bench with the words Shes havin an affair proof is in the phone. Thursday evening Live Doppler 13 forecast - Feb. 9, 2023. McIntosh, who is being tried as an adult in the case, was the gunman, prosecutors say. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. MacDonald wrote that in addition to the Mountain Village case, hes overseeing two other homicide trials and a sexual assault case that have all been significantly delayed due to a public defender withdrawing late into the case.. So far, nothing has been found. Thim said the arrest hinged on two aspects of the investigation: the citizen who chose to call police when they found that card, and the coordination between law enforcement agencies handling the separate cases of the videos and the body. She was aged between 16 and 25 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered several months after her murder. The SD card was labeled Homicide at midtown Marriott, according to the affidavit. An employee at the city of Mountain Village said the city currently has no police officer and that no officials were available to comment on the case. Alaska Native Man's Unsolved Murder Part of 'Epidemic' A man accused of killing a woman and recording it on an SD card later found in the street has been indicted in the murder of a second woman in Alaska, authorities announced Thursday. In the Lower 48, gangs are more organized and act as outside-the-law businesses, pushing drugs and weapons in defined territories. The judges order describes a disparity in the next phase of the criminal justice system the one that begins after a suspect is arrested and the clock starts ticking toward a timely resolution for defendant and victim. Anthoney and his girlfriend moved to Anchorage from Twin Falls, Idaho, in 1985 when authorities in Idaho accused him of raping and brutally beating a twelve-year-old girl at a campground near Twin Falls. Schilmiller offered Brehmer nine or more million dollars to carry out the murder and to have photographs and/or videos of the murder sent to him, the documents say. An Alaska resident found a stray SD card lying on the street in late September and discovered gruesome content inside: images and video of a woman appearing to be assaulted and murdered. "It depends on what we're looking at as far as danger," said McKinnon, speaking generally about citizen safety and homicides in 2016. He had started Friday night with two of the people closest to him: family friend Ronda Marcy and his mother, Elann "Lennie" Moren. He has not yet entered a plea. A separate 1998 audit done for the Alaska Legislature said the states public defenders can ethically handle no more than 59 cases in a 60-hour work week; by that standard, Steiner said at the March hearing, his agency needed 66 more lawyers to fulfill its constitutional obligations. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster gave invocation at Kenai Assembly meeting, Even more cruise ships are coming to Alaska in 2020. He was sentenced to 498 years in prison for the murder spree. Police continued to investigate and interviewed her two days later after Snapchat video appeared, in which she appeared to confess, the documents say. APD officer Arn Salao was wounded and the suspect, James Dale Ritchie, was killed in the early-morning shootout. Delay is always the friend of the defense because it makes it harder for prosecutors to put on their case.. But at one of the many stops along the way, a grizzly discovery is made when crew membersfind the widower's body crammed into her own suitcase. Officers arrested Brian Steven Smith, 48, Tuesday afternoon, an Anchorage Police Department statement said. Smith came to Alaska from South Africa about five years ago and became a naturalized U.S. citizen last month, according to the bail memo. Don't kill me!" Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Alaska murder mystery twist: Memory card found along road shows man Published: Jul. More than a few cases seem to trace back to a personal slight or insult that escalated into violence, said Lt. John McKinnon, head of APD's homicide unit. Brian Steven Smith is arraigned Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019 on a charge of first-degree murder at the Anchorage Jail courtroom. Smith is charged with first-degree murder. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) The Iditarod, the world's most famous sled dog race, starts Saturday with a fan-friendly ceremonial run through the streets of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. On Wednesday,. After Mr. Mackay and the pilot's sister, Muriel . Princess Cruises said 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares of Utah. Kyle Hopkins and Nat Herz, Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teacher's aide. Man accused of killing woman, recording it is charged in 2nd Alaska murder "That tells us other people believe it is a good place," he said. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? According to the affidavit, Doubek, who had reportedly struggled with substance abuse, had been growing increasingly paranoid that his wife was having an affair, and because of his behavior, Gardner had considered divorcing him. Eklutna Annie is the name given to an unidentified murder victim whose body was discovered in a wooded area, one mile south of South Eklutna Lake Road in Eklutna, Anchorage, Alaska, in July 1980. Authorities say Schilmiller, who has been arrested in New Salisbury, Indiana, and will be transferred to Alaska next month, began an online relationship with 18-year-old Denali Brehmer of Anchorage, posing as Tyler. "No More Silence": Her Kidnapping, Sexual Assault and Murder Stunned a Resources: If you are facing threatened or actual domestic violence, please discreetly call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or Abused Womens Aid in Crisis in Anchorage at 907-272-0100. or redistributed. Michelle Theriault Boots is a reporter who covers news and features about life in Alaska, and has been focusing on corrections and psychiatric care issues in the state. Police detectivesdon't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause. McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city. [14], In 1984, Robert Hansen admitted that he was responsible for the victim's death. Many of the victims were young. Smiths wife of five years, Stephanie Bissland, told KTUU on Oct. 10 that Smith was a good husband, and she did not believe the allegations against him. The district attorney's office also decided not to pursue criminal charges in the shooting death ofAaron Syvinski, 30, which was found to be in self-defense. As Merritt approachedAndrew Robertson-Goughnor, police said, Robertson-Goughnor shot him. Clark asked that he be appointed a public defender and set his bail at $500,000 cash appearance bond and a $250,000 cash performance bond. Hoffman was allegedly best friends with Brehmer, and she was chosen by the group as the victim, the documents say. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. (Anchorage, AK) - On April 22, 2021, thirty-one year-old Randall Igou was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Eric Aarseth for Murder in the First Degree. Troopers: Wasilla woman killed, husband charged with her murder, 2023 Iditarod pre-race coverage and Ceremonial Start, Melissa Fry has the forecast for the Iditarod restart in Willow, Animal rights group PETA continues targeting Iditarod sponsors. While the agencys inflation-adjusted spending has doubled in the past 30 years, its felony caseload has tripled, it says. Missing and murdered indigenous women cold case office - Anchorage, AK ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Utah couple was celebrating their wedding anniversary aboard an Alaska cruise when the husband was found covered in blood next to his wife's lifeless body, a frenzy of . In response, he chased after her, grabbed her by the hair and tripped her to the ground. "That's our plan to create a better police presence," McKinnon said. Moren, a patron at the bar, was shot and killed in the alley as the bar was closing early in the morning on Dec. 24. Gardner slept upstairs. Tracy Hansen and her dog, Gunner, were walking on the sidewalk in Anchorage, Alaska, when she was suddenly knocked to the ground, she told NBC . Published: Jan. 27, 2022 at 4:27 PM PST. Smith is originally from South Africa. On Sept. 30, someone called Anchorage police claiming to have found an SD card containing video of a homicide. An Alaska resident found a stray SD card lying on the street in late September and discovered gruesome content inside: images and video of a woman appearing to be assaulted and murdered. In 2017, the year Queenie was killed, the rate of women killed by men in Alaska was three times the national average and the highest in the United States, according to the Violence Policy Center. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. According to court documents and evidence presented . The organization had previously released a digital reconstruction, and a clay bust of Eklutna Annie had also been created in the past. [9][12] She stood between 4 ft 11 in and 5 ft 3 in, and her hair color ranged from light brown to strawberry-blond. Resources can be found by calling Alaska 211 or visiting the State of Alaskas website to find treatment options. [16], Hansen was sentenced to 461 years in prison without the possibility of parole for her murder and three others. Rodgers went on to kill another man in Anchorage and shoot two others who survived before his 26-hour rampage ended. [sic] A manwith some sort of English accent can be heard in the video as well. Legal Statement. 2023 BBC. Brehmer agreed to commit the murder for him.. Days later, on Oct. 2, police officers found human remains on the side of a highway. / 61.1254; -149.5234. Doubek and Gardner shared a home in a Wasilla neighborhood off of Snowshoe Lane. An Alaskan murder mystery has been solved thanks to a SD card found laying in the street. Police have not yet pointed to any known motive in the cases where Ritchie is identified as a suspect. At the scene, troopers found the door handle to Gardners bedroom door had been broken off, with damage marks matching the blade of a broken maul found nearby. The motion filed by Walters new public defender, Julia Metzger, cited MacDonalds comments in hearings over the summer, including remarks about the public defender agency neglecting clients and accusing its attorneys of complete abandonment and total disregard of professional responsibilities., Metzger said MacDonald launched into a 17-minute diatribe at a July 18 hearing, during which he predicted the public defender agency might continue to delay the Mountain Village homicide trial until 2020. She disappeared without a trace. "He had a leather jacket on and blue jeans, with a hoodie. Police had found Henrys remains on the side of a highway on Oct. 2. In at least two cases, a person believed to be breaking into a home was killed in what prosecutors determinedto be self-defense, and no charges were filed.The deaths ofLoren Douglas, 30, andAllen Raymond, 19, are still considered homicides by APD. [6], On July 17, 1980, Eklutna Annie's skeletal remains were found by workmen, buried in a shallow grave along a series of power lines north of Anchorage. The public defender representing Walters was juggling 200 cases and resigned due to mental exhaustion a week before the trial was to begin in July, according to the order. Shannon Duke. On Christmas Day, the people who loved Lucas Moren gathered in the alley behind the Gaslight. Alaska woman catfished by Indiana man pleads guilty to murder ", "DNA Match IDs Alaska Serial Killer's Victim After 37 Years", https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14666142/?ref_=ttep_ep3, https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2020/09/22/do-you-know-this-woman/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Eklutna_Annie&oldid=1140185336, Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, Anchorage, Alaska. Market data provided by Factset. Anchorage police identified the second victim as Veronica Abouchuk. Troopers arrived hours later and interviewed Walters, who admitted to beating Queenie, his 22-year-old girlfriend, with his fists and a broom handle. State lawmakers this year held the public defenders base budget effectively flat, though they included some $1.3 million, or a roughly 5 percent boost, in separate criminal justice legislation that was expected to generate more prosecutions. Ritchie, the 40-year-oldkilled in a downtown shootout with policeafter he wounded an officer in an encounter early Nov. 12, is the prime suspect in the deaths of five people in 2016, APD said. She was aged between 16 and 25 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered several months after her murder. Among those charged is Darin Schilmiller, whom authorities say presented himself as the millionaire Tyler from Kansas, using a fake photograph. Sarah Palin in 2007, admonished public defenders for specific professional failures in their handling of Walters case. Gardner was shot four times, according to the charging documents. She has not been identified. Public records show that he lives in a home in the Geneva Woods neighborhood, and a social media profile that appears to belong to him says he married an Anchorage woman in 2014. He had then stabbed her once in the back with a black-handled Buck knife as she lay face-down. The millionaire's only demand for the payout was either . On the whole they are to be commended for all they do in the face of serious institutional limits, he wrote. According to the Violence Policy Center, Alaska ranked number one in murder of women by men in incidents where there were one victim and one offender from 2014 through 2018. [7] He further recollected: "I picked her up downtown and told her I was going to take her to my home". According to the bail memo, Alaska State Troopers earlier this year recovered a skull with a gunshot wound in an area near the location Smith later provided. He has since been released, now in the custody of authorities, and is charged with first- and second-degree murder. According to police, the arrest came. In a lot of ways I think it is generational," McKinnon said. Just two years ago, in 2014, Anchorage ended the year with 13 homicides on the books the lowest in two decades. Jorge Rea-Villa, a handsome tattoo artist who went to a Fourth of July barbecue and ended up dead. Thim declined to say anything about the other investigation, or whether Smith is a suspect in other crimes. High winds cause damage, power outages across central Indiana . On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Smith onmurder and evidence tampering charges in Abouchuk's death.

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