Deadliest state: For women in Alaska, rape and murder are too common Shannon Duke. It had 39 images and 12 videos that recorded the alleged crime. He had started Friday night with two of the people closest to him: family friend Ronda Marcy and his mother, Elann "Lennie" Moren. Brian Steven Smith, 48, admitted to detectives that he was the man inimages and videos from the card, according to a document filed by the state Department of Law. Anchorage police say theyve arrested a man for the murder of a woman whose body had been dumped a week ago on the Seward Highway south of Anchorage. A man charged with murder is accused of fatally stabbing his 23-year-old daughter Friday in Anchorage's Fairview neighborhood. On Sept. 30, police received a report from someone saying they had found an SD card containing several videos of an assault and murder. 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. Police continued to investigate and interviewed her two days later after Snapchat video appeared, in which she appeared to confess, the documents say. Schauer shot Moren several times, police say, though they have not said why. She disappeared without a trace. [2][4], Serial killer Robert Hansen admitted responsibility for Eklutna Annie's murder in 1984. 28, 2020 at 10:10 AM PDT. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll told reporters Abouchuk's family reported her missing in February, but he said she had. "No More Silence": Her Kidnapping, Sexual Assault and Murder Stunned a Kristy Manzanares had been travelling with a large group, including her children, according to witnesses. At one point, the agencys seven-attorney Bethel office was down to three, he said. Deputy District Attorney Brittany Dunlop said the process calls for the case to be brought before a grand jury. 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. Among those charged is Darin Schilmiller, whom authorities say presented himself as the millionaire Tyler from Kansas, using a fake photograph. TODAY - Anna Kaplan 18h. The Alaska Public Defender Agencys longtime director, Quinlan Steiner, announced his resignation in April. He also told them hehad shot another woman and revealed where he dumped her body. CALIFORNIA MAN SENTENCED AFTER FORMER ROOMMATE FOUND DEAD, BLUDGEONED INSIDE WALL. 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. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Throughout 2016, Ritchie murdered upwards of five individuals in and around Anchorage, Alaska, most of whom were in parks or along bike paths. [5][3], This unidentified decedent became known as Eklutna Annie due to the location in which her body was discovered. Cellphone records trace Smith to having been at the place where the remains were found within minutes of when the last photo on the SD card was taken, police documents outline. 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. Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity on a social network account to deceive a specific victim. The next year,that number nearly doubled, to 25. Doubek and Gardner shared a home in a Wasilla neighborhood off of Snowshoe Lane. "That's our plan to create a better police presence," McKinnon said. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teachers aide. 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. Skidmore said the number of prosecutors is rebounding following a reduction years earlier and now includes more than 120 attorneys. Some people have speculated gangs are to blame for the bloodshed. "Same exactly happens to homicide cases. In September 2020, a revised facial reconstruction of the victim was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 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. McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city. According to court documents and evidence presented . "That's what's been fascinating.". Of the 34 victims, 14 were under the age of 25. Passengers describe learning woman died aboard Alaska cruise ship or redistributed. The majority of victims were killed by someone they knew. Two days later, both Brehmer and McIntosh were interviewed. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. Alaska Teen Killed Friend After Man Online Allegedly Offered $9M Pilot Project sites will implement initial response plans for tribal communities' response to new missing and murdered persons cases Anchorage, Alaska - United States Attorney Bryan Schroder announced Alaska's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Pilot Project (Pilot Project) today. Smith originally pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, sexual assault and tampering in the death of his first victim, 30-year-old Kathleen Henry, before admitting to the crime. Catfisher Convinced Alaska Teens to Murder a Developmentally Disabled [17], To date, Roxane Easland, Karen Evan, Megan Emerick, and Teresa Davis have been ruled out as being Eklutna Annie. 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.. In the years since, he'd helped her live with lasting injuries. In 2007, she had been severely injured when her fiance's son,Christopher Erin Rodgers, attacked the couple with a machete at their Palmer home. Our salaries up here used to be the draw, an attorney for the agency said. 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. The . 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. Police and a crime scene investigation unit spent much of Tuesday afternoon and evening at the home where Smith lived with his wife, hauling away a black pickup, neighbors said. Couple in Alaska cruise ship murder seemed like "perfect American All rights reserved. She was aged between 16 and 25 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered several months after her murder. Ritchie is considered the main suspect in those killings, said Markiewicz. IE 11 is not supported. Alaska murder mystery twist: Memory card found along road shows man According to Hansen, Eklutna Annie had been wearing blue jeans, a sweater, and a brown leather jacket. He warned Metzger against scurrying around in district court, spending time on lesser felony cases instead of the homicide case, according to her motion. 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. 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 . Anchorage man sentenced to 55 years in prison for murder of Alaska Zoo He was returning to Anchorage, where he lives, Thim said. There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. Thursday evening Live Doppler 13 forecast - Feb. 9, 2023. The graphic videos show a woman being strangled and a mans voice saying justdie, the Associated Press reported. All rights reserved. April 23, 2021. After Mr. Mackay and the pilot's sister, Muriel . Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster gave invocation at Kenai Assembly meeting, Even more cruise ships are coming to Alaska in 2020. ", "Alaska State Troopers: Unidentified Body", "Serial Killer Robert Hansen Dies in Anchorage", "Serial Killer's Victim Exhumed In Alaska: Who Is 'Horseshoe Harriet'? Early on Christmas Eve, James "Lucas" Moren became Anchorage homicide victimNo. Princess Cruises said 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares of Utah. 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. 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. Gov. ANCHORAGE, Alaska A woman pleaded guilty to murder after an Indiana man allegedly offered her $9 million to "rape and murder someone in Alaska." According to the Alaska Department of Law, 22-year-old Denali Brehmer admitting to killing 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman on June 29, 2019, near Thunderbird Falls in Chugiak, Alaska. The SD card, reportedly discovered lying in the street in an Anchorage neighborhood, was labeled homicide at midtown Marriott and contained graphic, time-stamped images and video recordings of a man beating and choking a naked woman, according to charging documents. Don't kill me!" On the whole they are to be commended for all they do in the face of serious institutional limits, he wrote. 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. An SD card found on an Alaska street showed a woman's murder - NBC News Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. A handwritten note laid on a nearby bench with the words Shes havin an affair proof is in the phone. 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. ", Autumn Smith. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he said. (Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. Little is known about Smith, the man charged. Police have not identified the victim, who is said to have been killed during the first week of September. Or are people just angrier?" He always committed his murders at night, often around midnight or a short time after. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). He worked in construction and kitchens, said Marcy, a paralegal. But he added that those specific failures were symptoms of broader dysfunction, like public defender and prosecutor jobs going unfilled because of obstacles to recruitment and retention, as well as travel restrictions. That puts APD at a more than 90 percent "clearance" rate for homicide cases. die.". After troopers arrived, Doubek was given first aid and taken to a hospital. Hansen specifically stated she was his first murder victim. On Wednesday,. Feds: Eagle River nurse prescribed 4 million opiates in 5 years, contributed to two overdose deaths. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. The Department of Law asked that Smith'sbond be set at $2 million. 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. Legal Statement. We learned sometimes the hard way in the past.". Nationally, the homicide clearance rate hovers around 64 percent, according to statistics from the FBI. 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. High winds cause damage, power outages across central Indiana . (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. Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com, Timothy Hoffman, right, father of slain teenager Cynthia Hoffman receives support from Edie Grunwald, left, who's son David Grunwald was murdered in Nov. 2016, as they entered a Superior courtroom for the arraignment of Cynthia's murder suspects in the Nesbett Courthouse on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. 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. [9] A box of Salem matches were found in a pocket of her jacket, indicating she may have been a smoker. APD officer Arn Salao was wounded and the suspect, James Dale Ritchie, was killed in the early-morning shootout. Fiesers account supports a complaint filed by prosecutors charging Doubek with the murder of his wife, 54-year-old Marjorie Gardner. / 61.1254; -149.5234. Homicide detectives began combing through the 39 images and 12 videos on the card, all documenting a horrifying scene of violence against an unknown woman. 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. According to court documents, Denali Brehmer, 18, confessed to killing Cynthia Hoffman on June 2 at the . Judge: case of slain Mountain Village woman shows how Alaska's justice The final images on the card show the womans body face down in the bed of a pickup, and were time-stamped Sept. 6. On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Smith onmurder and evidence tampering charges in Abouchuk's death. When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. 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. 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. Many questions remain unanswered Wednesday, including the identity of the woman. "Loose lips sink ships," Markiewicz said. In the Lower 48, gangs are more organized and act as outside-the-law businesses, pushing drugs and weapons in defined territories. 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. [1], Last edited on 18 February 2023, at 21:52, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, "Eklutna Annie: Put The Focus Back on Me! 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. The need for nine more lawyers was based on a 45-year-old standard set by the American Bar Association that public defenders annual caseloads should not exceed 150 felonies. Gardner was shot four times, according to the charging documents. Last year, Steiner, who was then the agencys director, warned that his attorneys were at their limit and would have to start refusing to handle new cases without a $1 million boost to their $26 million budget. 2019, on charges of murder in Anchorage, Alaska. 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. [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. Another factor no one could have predicted: James Dale Ritchie, who could prove to bethe most prolific killer in AnchoragesinceJoshua Wade, though APD is not ready to call him that. In January 2013, an associate professor wrote a letter of recommendation for Ritchie, who was apparently applying for an internship. Police are careful not to blame victims of violent crimes. 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. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". Its just really incredibly disheartening, Pearson said. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. He also allegedly told authorities that he and Brehmer discussed killing another person, but the plan was abandoned, and he admitted to blackmailing Brehmer into raping people. Other witnesses described seeing a bloody man threatening to jump off the ship. Alaskas public defenders have argued for the past two years that rising caseloads and tight budgets are straining their ability to fulfill their constitutional obligation to represent their clients. Witness memories fade, Skidmore said. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. An earlier version of the chart in this story incorrectly stated that it included fatal officer-involved shootings and justifiable homicides. Alaska Public Media 2022. [10], As Eklutna Annie struggled against his efforts to overpower her, she had screamed, "Don't kill me! In court Wednesday, Smith appeared in handcuffs, wearing a yellow jail jumpsuit. or redistributed. All rights reserved. Other images showed her being strangled by a man who was yelling at her to die in what sounded like a foreign accent, at one point stomping on her throat. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. And they say despite the number of killings, suspects are at large in very few of the cases. 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. ThatFriday, she dropped him off for an evening out downtown. 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. 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. They were all going to spend Christmas together the next day. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? APD asked morning commuters to avoid the area. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. The Anchorage office is expected to open on August 27. [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 SD card was labeled Homicide at midtown Marriott, according to the affidavit. Her family was not contacted and her items were removed from her cabin. All rights reserved. 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. 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. An autopsy report concluded that she had been killed by a single stab wound to the back. Photos apparently show the woman underneath a blanketon a hotel luggage cart near a truck and in the truck bed, per the document. Bill said that in her experience with the criminal justice system, cases involving white defendants and victims appear to be resolved more quickly than cases involving Alaska Natives. 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. Denali Brehmer, 22, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder in the June 2019 death of Cynthia Hoffman, the Alaska Department of Law said. "I'd say a great number of our citizens don't engage in any activity that's considered dangerous.". But APD isnot ready to close the cases. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? Published: Jul. You're going to kill me!" After human remains were found along a highway just south of Anchorage two days after the memory card was found, police were able to start putting pieces together. He has since been released, now in the custody of authorities, and is charged with first- and second-degree murder. An Indiana man is accused of " catfishing " an Alaska teenager and convincing her to murder her supposed best friend for $9 million with the help of four others. During an arraignment at Anchorage Jail Court Wednesday, a judge set Smiths bail at $750,0000 cash and appointed a public defender to represent him. "Because of his knowledge other students identify him as a potential source of aid but may have been intimidated by his high level of self confidence," the letter said. According to online court records, no new trial date has been set in the killing of Gertrude Queenie. CALIFORNIA MAN KIDNAPPED GIRL, 17, WHO WORKED WITH PALS TO NAB HIM IN THEIR OWN UNOFFICIAL OPERATION: COPS, There are 39 images and 12 videos on the card, according to a charging document filed by the Alaska Department of Law. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. 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. A man has been arrested in connection to the murder of a woman aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Alaska, police say, in what has been described as a "domestic disturbance". Murder of Eklutna Annie - Wikipedia Human remains found along Seward Highway near Rainbow trailhead. Smith had registered a room at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott the night the video was taken, according to the affidavit. MacDonald declined to be interviewed, saying that Walters case is still open. It appeared that Smith recorded them himself, according to the affidavit. A Snapchat video showed two of the teens accused of killing 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman near the Thunderbird Falls trailhead in June apparently discussing the crime. Pilot Projects Launched to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous 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.
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