The majority of victims were killed by someone they knew. MacDonalds ruling addresses some of the most urgent problems facing Alaskas criminal justice system, where policymakers and the public have increasingly turned their focus in recent years. According to police, the arrest came. Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. And so somebody who might have been using emotional abuse and threats and that sort of thing may escalate into more physical violence, Pearson said. Digital evidence and statements show Brehmer was communicating with and sending videos and/or photographs of the events surrounding the incident to Schilmiller at his directive through the duration of the event, documents say. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). 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. Anchorage police: Homicide video victim - Alaska Public Media ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Clayton Andrew Charlie, who pleaded guilty in 2019 to second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a groundskeeper at the Alaska Zoo, has been sentenced to 55 years in prison. Passengers describe learning woman died aboard Alaska cruise ship Doubek slept downstairs. When a composite sketch of the man suspected in the death of TreyveonThompson was released, more than 190 people called in tips, McKinnon said. MacDonalds order and decision are part of the ongoing effort to hold a criminal trial in Fairbanks for Walters, who was 34 when troopers arrested him Oct. 5, 2017, in Mountain Village on charges of murder, assault and evidence tampering. But they are working to build a case meeting the evidence threshold that would allow for prosecution, Markiewicz said. Witness memories fade, Skidmore said. A 48-year-old Anchorage man was charged with murder after someone found a digital card containing dozens of videos and photos that authorities say show him beating and killing a woman in a Midtown hotel room. The organization had previously released a digital reconstruction, and a clay bust of Eklutna Annie had also been created in the past. CALIFORNIA MAN SENTENCED AFTER FORMER ROOMMATE FOUND DEAD, BLUDGEONED INSIDE WALL. 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. 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. She said he never exhibited any violent tendencies such as those she heard of from police. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". He stepped out of the car and said goodbye to his mom and Marcy. She championed any child she met that needed a second chance for success, her obituary said. "We haven't found evidence that anyone other than Ritchie is involved.". More than three dozenimages and 12 videos were stored on the card, according to the charging documents. 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. The memory card, which was labeled homicide at midtown Marriott, was given to police by the woman who found it, charging documents obtained by NBC affiliate KTUU in Anchorage showed. The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares, from the US state of Utah. Alaska murder mystery twist: Memory card found along road shows man "She sounded pretty desperate, but the crew came up as quickly as they could", he said, adding that the incident occurred on the 9th floor of the 19-deck ship. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It's not that clear-cut, said McKinnon. A handwritten note laid on a nearby bench with the words Shes havin an affair proof is in the phone. Brian Steven Smith is shown being arraigned on a charge of first-degree murder at the Anchorage Jail courtroom Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage police say 8-month-old baby found safe; father arrested on Brehmer ultimately admitted to being solicited by Schilmiller to commit the murder and that the murder was planned once she realized she had been catfished by Schilmiller, the documents say. Rodgers went on to kill another man in Anchorage and shoot two others who survived before his 26-hour rampage ended. He was unable to "remember whether she was a prostitute or [a] dancer", although he did state he believed she was from Kodiak, Alaska. Policeinvestigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting in downtown Anchorage onNovember 12, 2016. Smith remained in jail on Wednesday where he is being held on an outstanding warrant. The man in the video speaks with a distinct accent, which led detectives to recall a separate case involving Smith, a South African immigrant living in Anchorage. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Advocate for missing and murdered women, reflecting on the ongoing efforts to identify Eklutna Annie[18], Eklutna Annie remains unidentified. The woman attempted to fight back, the affidavit said. In 2016, some 34 people were killed by homicide in Anchorage. Police recognized the man in the videos as Brian Smith, an immigrant from South Africa police knew of from a previous investigation," according to the affidavit. Online court records did not list an attorney for Schilmiller. According to court documents, Denali Brehmer, 18, confessed to killing Cynthia Hoffman on June 2 at the . Here, "it's more groups of people who know each other and engage in high-risk behavior together," he said. 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. He had started Friday night with two of the people closest to him: family friend Ronda Marcy and his mother, Elann "Lennie" Moren. LOUISIANA MAN ARRESTED IN 1989 MURDER CASE: POLICE. Our salaries up here used to be the draw, an attorney for the agency said. (Erik Hill / Alaska Dispatch News). According to court papers, the group went off trail and followed a path to the bank of the Eklutna River, where Hoffman was bound, shot and thrown into the river. The woman, who has not yet been identified, is described as having long dark hair and possibly being Alaska Native. Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, 'The nurses wanted me to feel guilty about my abortion, From Afghan TV fame to a US factory floor. Even after that request was granted, Steiner said at a legislative budget hearing in March that he needed at least nine more lawyers, on top of an existing staff of roughly 75 criminal attorneys, to fulfill the agencys constitutional obligations. [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. Published: Jul. Witnesses say she was travelling with her children. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Her eldest daughter Chloe was killed with her. Gardner was a beloved community member, devoted mother and a part-owner of Hilltop Recycling, a long-standing staple of the Chugiak area, according to her family. [2][4], Serial killer Robert Hansen admitted responsibility for Eklutna Annie's murder in 1984. Of the34 homicides in 2016, all but three are considered solved, with police identifying at least a main suspect, according to Sgt. data the agency has presented to the Legislature. The group met to decide how they would divvy up the money. Shannon Duke. Upon examining the card, police said it"contained several videos which appeared to show the assault and subsequent homicide of an adult female" and an investigation was opened. There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. Cynthia Hoffman. We learned sometimes the hard way in the past.". Resources can be found by calling Alaska 211 or visiting the State of Alaskas website to find treatment options. Kristy Manzanares had been travelling with a large group, including her children, according to witnesses. What science tells us about the afterlife. But a bail memorandum filed in the case . The final images on the card show the womans body face down in the bed of a pickup, and were time-stamped Sept. 6. Officials allege they destroyed some of Hoffmans clothing, purse and cellphone, and Brehmer texted Hoffmans family to let them know they dropped her off at Polar Bear Park in Anchorage. Parents would be wise to monitor the activity of their children online.. Officials said there was no indication Hoffman was sexually assaulted. Each of the three men died from gunshot wounds. This week, Brian Smith, 48, was charged with first-degree murder in the case, the Anchorage Police Department said in a Wednesday statement. This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 21:52. Anchorage police investigate a fatal shooting at the Holiday Gas Station located on Abbott Road on Wednesday evening, May 25, 2016. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). According to the affidavit, the couple had separate bedrooms. In February 2017, 37-year-old Brandy Sullivan, an Alaska Airlines customer-service agent who lived in an upscale Anchorage suburb, was allegedly shot and killed by her estranged husband.. Police detectivesdon't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause. Smith is charged with first-degree murder. That puts APD at a more than 90 percent "clearance" rate for homicide cases. Authorities who have reviewed the videos and photos said they remembered Smith from another investigationand found he was registered in early September to a room at a local hotel that has carpet that matches the one seen in the footage. The state of Alaskas criminal justice system is operating on the fringes, barely able to protect against the deprivation of fundamental rights, barely able to respond in a professionally responsible manner to Alaska (s) rising violent crime rates, Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Michael A. MacDonald wrote in a blistering Aug. 30 decision, which has previously not been reported. 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The victim was also wearing several pieces of jewelry, including an apparently handmade metal bracelet containing three turquoise stones,[2][8] a copper necklace containing shell beads, a pendant heart, a Timex metal wristwatch consisting of circular links and with a brown watch face, a ring carved from shell jewelry, and gold-plated, twisted metal hoop earrings. (Scott Jensen / Alaska Dispatch News). "Why life seems harder, why things seem scarier why is that? In September, the death of a man in the middle of a busy intersectionshut down anelementary school and a middle schoolwhile police investigated the killing. Legal Statement. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. All rights reserved. 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. Troopers: Wasilla woman killed, husband charged with her murder Such delays typically benefit defendants and make it harder for prosecutors to secure convictions, said Alaska Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teacher's aide. "No More Silence": Her Kidnapping, Sexual Assault and Murder Stunned a Nine months and a long Arctic winter have come and gone since the abduction, sexual assault and murder of 10-year-old Ashley Johnson-Barr in the northwest Alaska hub community of Kotzebue.. Signs . Federal authorities allege Brehmer produced sexually explicit videos involving a minor and sent them to Schilmiller. 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. "Clearance" means police have either made an arrest, prosecutors have declined to file charges due to self-defense or some other reason, or the suspect died. Market data provided by Factset. Photos apparently show the woman underneath a blanketon a hotel luggage cart near a truck and in the truck bed, per the document. 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. Legal Statement. [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. Ritchie is considered the main suspect in those killings, said Markiewicz. Prosecutors: Anchorage cold case murder started with gunfire, ended in According to Hansen, he persuaded Eklutna Annie to help him winch his pickup free from the mud, although when he began to drive his vehicle free, Eklutna Annie attempted to run. Brehmer and McIntosh used Leylands pickup on June 2 to take Hoffman on a hike at Thunderbird Falls, a popular location about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Anchorage. Smith, 48, appeared in Anchorage Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon. 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! McKinnon said police are still trying to piece together what Ritchie did on a daily basis during the months he is believed to have been back in Anchorage. The district covers an enormous and geographically diverse swath of Alaska, from the woodsy Alaska-Canada border in the Interior to the Bering Sea coast. When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. 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. Alaska copscharged an Anchorage man with murderTuesday after shocking videos found on a mysterious memory card allegedly capturedthe suspectassaulting and killing a woman whose remains were recently discoverednear a highway. Couple in Alaska cruise ship murder seemed like "perfect American After the death, the ship was diverted to the city of Juneau, in Alaska, and passengers were forced by investigators to remain on board for more than eight hours. Alaska Public Media 2022. In response, he chased after her, grabbed her by the hair and tripped her to the ground. According to online court records, no new trial date has been set in the killing of Gertrude Queenie. The . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "That tells us other people believe it is a good place," he said. ", "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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Two days later, both Brehmer and McIntosh were interviewed. 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. 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. In May, 19-year-old Brandon Merritt went to a Holiday gas station and exchanged words with another man, according to police. If you are considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or Stop Suicide Alaska at 1-877-266-HELP. All rights reserved. Lucas Moren himself had cleaned up the bloody scene of the machete attack on his mother. MacDonald serves as the presiding judge for the Fairbanks-based Fourth Judicial District. 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. State prosecutors say Darin Lee Jones, 54, and Shawn Michael Phillips, 52, killed Patricia Phelps, 48, in Anchorage's Spenard neighborhood in 2017. She wore several articles of clothing, including a brown leather hip-length jacket, a light-colored knitted sleeveless shirt (possibly white, beige, or light gray in color), blue jeans, and red, knee-high, high-heeled, zip-up boots. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. An Alaskan murder mystery has been solved thanks to a SD card found laying in the street. Read about our approach to external linking. Some people have speculated gangs are to blame for the bloodshed. The SD card was labeled Homicide at midtown Marriott, according to the affidavit. IE 11 is not supported. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP) Author: The Associated Press Published: 10:58 PM EDT August 9, 2019 Updated: 3:40 AM EDT August 12, 2019 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP . It had 39 images and 12 videos that recorded the alleged crime. Detectives recognized Brian Steven Smith from the graphic videos because Smith is involved in a separate ongoing investigation, said Anchorage Police Department spokesman MJ Thim. 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. All rights reserved. CLICK TO VISIT THE ALL-NEW FOXBUSINESS.COM. 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. Smith was taken into custody on an arrest warrant for first-degree murder Tuesday afternoon at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, police said in an online release announcing the arrest Wednesday. A 22-year-old Alaska woman pleaded guilty to murdering her 19-year-old "best friend" in 2019 after a man who was allegedly catfishing her offered her $9 million to kill someone. ANCHORAGE - Following a three-week trial in U.S. District Court, a federal jury convicted an Anchorage man on charges of murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise, using a firearm to commit murder in a drug trafficking crime, drug conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. MacDonald denied the request, saying his findings are not an indictment of the Alaska Public Defender Agency nor its attorneys. McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city. Or are people just angrier?" Theres a new fight over Bering Sea black cod. All but one of the victims in those cases were female. Passengers told CBS News that a "murder mystery" theme dinner had been taking place when the incident occurred, and several passengers first confused the crime for a hoax. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. He was sentenced to 498 years in prison for the murder spree. has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, and was taken to Anchorage Jail. The callertold police the memory card was found layingin the middle of the street in the Fairview neighborhood of Anchorage. "James recognized the potential issue and has appropriate (sic) adjusted his behavior to make himself more inviting for others to seek help. He told Anchorage District Court Judge Brian Clark that he had about $2,000 in total saved. His hair was long. Police were able to identify Smith, a native of South Africa, from the video after recognizing him from a separate, unspecified investigation, in part because of his accent. 32. Schilmiller admitted to federal agents and Indiana State Police his role in the plot, saying he chose Hoffman as the victim and he told Brehmer to kill her, according to the court documents. / 61.1254; -149.5234. Police are careful not to blame victims of violent crimes. It did not include those deaths. As Merritt approachedAndrew Robertson-Goughnor, police said, Robertson-Goughnor shot him. All rights reserved. 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. Market data provided by Factset. 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. Fiesers account supports a complaint filed by prosecutors charging Doubek with the murder of his wife, 54-year-old Marjorie Gardner. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. Overwhelmingly, people were killed with guns: Gunfire was involved in all but four of the year's homicides. Anchorage police say they've arrested a man for the murder of a woman whose body had been dumped a week ago on the Seward Highway south of Anchorage. (Image from East High School 1994 yearbook and APD handout). Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 17 are here. For many, it was the year the city's violence hit home,even if they didn't personally know any of the victims. 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. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? TENNESSEE COLLEGE STUDENT ACCUSED OF FATAL SHOOTING IN DORM. Brian Steven Smith, a 48-year-old reportedly from South Africa, was arrested at Ted Stevens International Airport after investigators linked him to the crime. Hansen specifically stated she was his first murder victim. James Dale Ritchie - Wikipedia Detectives arrested Smith at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to APD. The year's final tally surpasses even the 29 deathsthat occurred in 1995, at the time attributed by officials to gang and drug activity. But the same weapon found on Ritchie at the time of his death an uncommon, vintage Colt Python .357 was used to kill four other people in a two-month span: Brianna Foisy, 20, and Jason Netter Sr., 41, on the Ship Creek Trail July 3, and Bryant "Brie" De Husson, 25, and Kevin Turner, 34, at Valley of the Moon Park on Aug. 28. Her body was found along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage on Oct. 2. Smith appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge said he'd be appointed a public defender. An autopsy report concluded that she had been killed by a single stab wound to the back. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teachers aide. APD asked morning commuters to avoid the area. Marcy keeps running over the questions in her mind: Why is this happening in Anchorage? They were all going to spend Christmas together the next day. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. "Loose lips sink ships," Markiewicz said. [sic] A manwith some sort of English accent can be heard in the video as well. The domestic violence-related cases range from amother accused of suffocating her infant daughter,to a man accused of fatally shootinghis son-in-law. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. 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. Of the 34 victims, 14 were under the age of 25.

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