Deputy District Attorney Brittany Dunlop said the process calls for the case to be brought before a grand jury. 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. (Scott Jensen / Alaska Dispatch News). Jorge Rea-Villa, a handsome tattoo artist who went to a Fourth of July barbecue and ended up dead. The millionaire's only demand for the payout was either . Sarah Palin in 2007, admonished public defenders for specific professional failures in their handling of Walters case. 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.. The SD card also contained images of the womans body being removed from a hotel room and transported in a black truck, according to charging documents. 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. On Sept. 30, police received a report from someone saying they had found an SD card containing several videos of an assault and murder. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. All rights reserved. Nearly a week prior, on Sept. 30, someone called Anchorage Policeclaiming to have "an SD card containing a video of a homicide," according to a press release from authorities. Read about our approach to external linking. Each of the three men died from gunshot wounds. The show Very Scary People profiled Robert Hansen in "The Butcher Baker". Such delays typically benefit defendants and make it harder for prosecutors to secure convictions, said Alaska Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore. The caller later told officers the card a small memory card used in portable digital devices was discarded on the street at the corner of Fairbanks Street and 13th Avenue in Fairview, near the Gambell Carrs store. 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. 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. With the SD card, one of the first questions that detectives had to answer was, Was this staged, or did this really happen? (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 . He always committed his murders at night, often around midnight or a short time after. Hansen specifically stated she was his first murder victim. MacDonald denied the request, saying his findings are not an indictment of the Alaska Public Defender Agency nor its attorneys. 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. "That's what's been fascinating.". 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. Don't kill me!" Federal authorities allege Brehmer produced sexually explicit videos involving a minor and sent them to Schilmiller. We still dont know who she is and we dont know much about her," said Thim. There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Of the 34 victims, 14 were under the age of 25. There has been some suggestion by family members out-of-state that he had recently showed signs of mental illness, McKinnon confirmed, but added, "I don't think we have any concrete evidence to support that.". She disappeared without a trace. Police do not believe Ritchie was involved with any otherunsolved slayingsin 2016. TODAY - Anna Kaplan 18h. Alaska Public Media 2022. After Mr. Mackay and the pilot's sister, Muriel . Other witnesses described seeing a bloody man threatening to jump off the ship. Her fiance was killed. All rights reserved. In court Wednesday, Smith appeared in handcuffs, wearing a yellow jail jumpsuit. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. 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. But APD isnot ready to close the cases. This week, Brian Smith, 48, was charged with first-degree murder in the case, the Anchorage Police Department said in a Wednesday statement. Police have not yet pointed to any known motive in the cases where Ritchie is identified as a suspect. 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. It appeared that Smith recorded them himself, according to the affidavit. 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. 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. Overwhelmingly, people were killed with guns: Gunfire was involved in all but four of the year's homicides. He isnow charged with murder. Gardner was shot four times, according to the charging documents. Eklutna Annie is still unidentified, despite her face being reconstructed in both 3-D and 2-D.[4][23] Several missing women are believed to have also been murdered by Hansen. (The motion argued that the judge misunderstood the limits on public defenders, who do not choose which charges are filed.). Legal Statement. A district attorney has been selected to oversee the Bethel office and Skidmore said he is in talks with the North Slope Borough in hopes of funding the first Utqiagvik-based district attorney in several years. She said he never exhibited any violent tendencies such as those she heard of from police. 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. Some people have speculated gangs are to blame for the bloodshed. Skidmore said the number of prosecutors is rebounding following a reduction years earlier and now includes more than 120 attorneys. Online court records did not list an attorney for Schilmiller. The State Medical Examiner Office is working to confirm her identity and manner of death. (Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. But the 2016 toll also reflects one extraordinary factor:a potential serial killer apparently targeting strangers. 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. As of Oct. 9, police said they were still working with the state medical examiner to determine her identity and contact her next of kin. April 23, 2021. "Why life seems harder, why things seem scarier why is that? 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". Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. Published: Jan. 27, 2022 at 4:27 PM PST. The memory card was labeled "homicide at midtown Marriott" and contained 39 images and 12 videos of an assault and murder. The Anchorage office is expected to open on August 27. The Department of Law asked that Smith'sbond be set at $2 million. 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. He was unable to "remember whether she was a prostitute or [a] dancer", although he did state he believed she was from Kodiak, Alaska. ThatFriday, she dropped him off for an evening out downtown. 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. State prosecutors say Darin Lee Jones, 54, and Shawn Michael Phillips, 52, killed Patricia Phelps, 48, in Anchorage's Spenard neighborhood in 2017. 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. 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. The killings happened in nearly every corner of Anchorage: from an Eagle River apartment complex toa normally quietsouth-sidesubdivision. die.". The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares, from the US state of Utah. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? More than three dozenimages and 12 videos were stored on the card, according to the charging documents. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll told reporters Abouchuk's family reported her missing in February, but he said she had. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. The trial has been delayed at least 15 times at the request of the defense, according to MacDonalds order. 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. LOUISIANA MAN ARRESTED IN 1989 MURDER CASE: POLICE. Mar 6th 600p DARLA Recently retired newly weds embark on their third tropical cruise in less than year. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Seven Cold Case Task Force offices across the nation, dedicated to solving cold cases involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives, are opening in the next few weeks, one expected to open in Anchorage. 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. Authorities were expected to announce charges on the case on Thursday. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. You're going to kill me!" 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. At one point, the agencys seven-attorney Bethel office was down to three, he said. Little is known about Smith, the man charged. Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, the womans body was found along Turnagain Arm, near the Rainbow trailhead. Feds: Eagle River nurse prescribed 4 million opiates in 5 years, contributed to two overdose deaths. Lucas Moren himself had cleaned up the bloody scene of the machete attack on his mother. [10], As Eklutna Annie struggled against his efforts to overpower her, she had screamed, "Don't kill me! The majority of victims were killed by someone they knew. "It depends on what we're looking at as far as danger," said McKinnon, speaking generally about citizen safety and homicides in 2016. 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. Just two years ago, in 2014, Anchorage ended the year with 13 homicides on the books the lowest in two decades. 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. 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. 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. In arguments included with MacDonalds order, public defenders described an agency at its breaking point, struggling to retain experienced attorneys and unable to compete for recruits against cities with a lower cost of living and comparable pay. He worked in construction and kitchens, said Marcy, a paralegal. 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. Detectives knew almost immediately that something was wrong, that someones loved one was killed when they found her remains, he said. His wife is not implicated in the slaying. But a bail memorandum filed in the case . But they are working to build a case meeting the evidence threshold that would allow for prosecution, Markiewicz said. Witness memories fade, Skidmore said. When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. Throughout 2016, Ritchie murdered upwards of five individuals in and around Anchorage, Alaska, most of whom were in parks or along bike paths. 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. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. 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. 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. data the agency has presented to the Legislature. 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. 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. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he 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. 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. According to a press release from the Alaska Department of Law, Charlie was sentenced to 75 years . He does not look like the young man he portrayed himself to look like, he is not a millionaire and he lives in Indiana, court documents say. An autopsy report concluded that she had been killed by a single stab wound to the back. 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 . (In addition to the 75 criminal attorneys, about 25 more work on appeals and childrens cases.) Legal Statement. Troopers arrived hours later and interviewed Walters, who admitted to beating Queenie, his 22-year-old girlfriend, with his fists and a broom handle. Cynthia Hoffman. Copyright 2021 KTUU. APD officer Arn Salao was wounded and the suspect, James Dale Ritchie, was killed in the early-morning shootout. He had then stabbed her once in the back with a black-handled Buck knife as she lay face-down. Her body was found along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage on Oct. 2. He then attempted to placate her, before pulling a gun, saying: "You do exactly as I say and you won't get hurt. [n 2], The remains of Eklutna Annie are interred at the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, under a marker reading "Jane Doe / Died 1980".[21][22]. Nationally, the homicide clearance rate hovers around 64 percent, according to statistics from the FBI. This is a truly horrific case that is not the norm for our community, Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll said at a news conference, the Anchorage Daily News reported . Doubek slept downstairs. The Alaska teens are being represented by the public defenders office, which has a policy of not commenting on cases. [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. (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. Photos apparently show the woman underneath a blanketon a hotel luggage cart near a truck and in the truck bed, per the document. 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. Brian Smith . During the initial 911 call, Doubek reportedly had slurred, garbled speech and admitted to shooting his wife, according to the affidavit. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teacher's aide. The images showed a naked woman being beaten on the floor of a hotel room, according to the affidavit. They were all going to spend Christmas together the next day. She said she was not a police officer in the village at the time of the killing. Police had found Henrys remains on the side of a highway on Oct. 2. 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. 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. Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity on a social network account to deceive a specific victim. Smith appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge said he'd be appointed a public defender. Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 17 are here. In 2016, some 34 people were killed by homicide in Anchorage. Parents would be wise to monitor the activity of their children online.. After troopers arrived, Doubek was given first aid and taken to a hospital. Market data provided by Factset. According to police, the arrest came. Legal Statement. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. 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. 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. MacDonald, who was appointed by then-Gov.

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