"One of the little girls from that room came running out, calling for help, that her parents had been in a fight," one passenger told CBS News. Alaska Native Man's Unsolved Murder Part of 'Epidemic' According to court documents and evidence presented . (Loren Holmes / ADN). "They are engaging in this behavior where maybe a mature person would say, 'I'd never do that,' but to the people involved this is real stuff to them disrespect. A Wasilla woman was shot four times at home Sunday night and her husband is charged with her murder, according to Alaska State Troopers. "Loose lips sink ships," Markiewicz said. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he said. The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares, from the US state of Utah. Police have not yet pointed to any known motive in the cases where Ritchie is identified as a suspect. But APD isnot ready to close the cases. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The memory card was labeled "homicide at midtown Marriott" and contained 39 images and 12 videos of an assault and murder. The womans body was found last week along the Seward Highway south of the city. Feds: Eagle River nurse prescribed 4 million opiates in 5 years, contributed to two overdose deaths. MacDonald declined to be interviewed, saying that Walters case is still open. 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. "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. 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 . 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. 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. 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. In January 2013, an associate professor wrote a letter of recommendation for Ritchie, who was apparently applying for an internship. This week, Brian Smith, 48, was charged with first-degree murder in the case, the Anchorage Police Department said in a Wednesday statement. An earlier version of the chart in this story incorrectly stated that it included fatal officer-involved shootings and justifiable homicides. He moved back to Alaska in the spring of 2016. 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. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teachers aide. Legal Statement. 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. And they say despite the number of killings, suspects are at large in very few of the cases. Online court records did not list an attorney for Schilmiller. Ritchie grew up in Anchorage and was a standout athlete at East High School in the mid-1990s before involvement in drugs led to a felony record that derailed his life. Alaska's arduous Iditarod kicks off with ceremonial start | KRDO 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. Smith is originally from South Africa. Market data provided by Factset. About three weeks before Hoffman was killed, Brehmer and Schilmiller began discussing a plan to rape and murder someone in Alaska, according to court documents. 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. or redistributed. (Google). Her eldest daughter Chloe was killed with her. Mystery over woman's murder on Alaska cruise ship - BBC News 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. But they are working to build a case meeting the evidence threshold that would allow for prosecution, Markiewicz said. In 2016, some 34 people were killed by homicide in Anchorage. But there are plenty of public defender offices in the Lower 48 who are offering those exact salaries right now with lower cost of living and more stability in their government and their budget., The public defender agency asked that MacDonald be disqualified from the Mountain Village case because of his bias against the agency and Walters, the defendant. Nationally, the homicide clearance rate hovers around 64 percent, according to statistics from the FBI. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster gave invocation at Kenai Assembly meeting, Even more cruise ships are coming to Alaska in 2020. 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. Kyle Hopkins and Nat Herz, Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. Ritchie was killed during a shootout with police officers in downtown Anchorage on November 12, 2016. 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". What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? 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. 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. The record in this case should reflect that, as a result of the policy and budget choices made by the legislative and executive branches the people of Alaska must tolerate long delays in the prosecution of the type of crimes charged in this case crimes against women, crimes fueled by substance abuse, crimes against law enforcement officers, crimes against rural Alaskans, the judge wrote. ThatFriday, she dropped him off for an evening out downtown. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. 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. At one June hearing, shortly before she resigned, the public defender noted she was working a double case load. "[13], According to Hansen, he then drove in the direction of Eklutna Lake, with his vehicle eventually becoming stuck on a desolate road as he veered in the direction of a "muddy swamp". In September 2020, a revised facial reconstruction of the victim was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 28, 2020 at 10:10 AM PDT. The SD card was labeled Homicide at midtown Marriott, according to the affidavit. It is routine for me to enter class seeing several other students at the board with James as he provides guidance not only for my class but other classes as well.". This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. 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. 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. McIntosh, who is being tried as an adult in the case, was the gunman, prosecutors say. At the sentencing hearing, the State presented video . 2022 Anchorage Daily News. 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. Alaska murder mystery twist: Memory card found along road shows man She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. 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.. Some people have speculated gangs are to blame for the bloodshed. The next year,that number nearly doubled, to 25. Alaska Teen Killed Friend After Man Online Allegedly Offered $9M Of the34 homicides in 2016, all but three are considered solved, with police identifying at least a main suspect, according to Sgt. 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. On Christmas Day, the people who loved Lucas Moren gathered in the alley behind the Gaslight. It was first broadcast on May 9th, 2021. Officials said there was no indication Hoffman was sexually assaulted. 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. Together, the homicides pose a question for Anchorage: What made 2016 so deadly? Federal Jury Convicts Anchorage Man on Murder and Drug Charges 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. (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. Smith is charged with first-degree murder. I was the only one there, I did that, I killed her, he told investigators, according to the charges. Jorge Rea-Villa, a handsome tattoo artist who went to a Fourth of July barbecue and ended up dead. 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 Hansen, Eklutna Annie had been wearing blue jeans, a sweater, and a brown leather jacket. On Wednesday,. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. 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. 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. Anchorage Police Department personnelwere investigating a fatal shooting near 15th Avenue and E Street early Sept. 13, 2016. Anchorage man sentenced to 55 years in prison for murder of Alaska Zoo Doubek did not attend his scheduled arraignment Thursday. This story was produced as part of a collaboration between Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News. "We haven't found evidence that anyone other than Ritchie is involved.". Doug Moody, a supervisor at the Public Defender Agency, said in a phone interview Tuesday that Cherot will be reviewing MacDonalds critique. 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. 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.". "That's what's been fascinating.". She said she was not a police officer in the village at the time of the killing. [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. Ritchie is considered the main suspect in those killings, said Markiewicz. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Cynthia Hoffman. The year's final tally surpasses even the 29 deathsthat occurred in 1995, at the time attributed by officials to gang and drug activity. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. ' said APD communications director MJ Thim. Such delays typically benefit defendants and make it harder for prosecutors to secure convictions, said Alaska Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. The woman attempted to fight back, the affidavit said. AnAlaska man accused of brutally assaulting and murdering a woman who was seen strangled in videos found ona digital memory cardhasbeen charged with another death, authorities said Thursday. The Anchorage Police Department has identified the victim as Kathleen J. Henry, 30, according to a statement released Thursday afternoon. Don't kill me!" Police detectivesdon't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause. 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. Alaska cops charged an Anchorage man with murder Tuesday after shocking videos found on a mysterious memory card allegedly captured the suspect assaulting and killing a woman whose remains. 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. Early on Christmas Eve, James "Lucas" Moren became Anchorage homicide victimNo. Brian . 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. On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Smith onmurder and evidence tampering charges in Abouchuk's death. Troopers: Wasilla woman killed, husband charged with her murder She was aged between 16 and 25 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered several months after her murder. MacDonald denied the request, saying his findings are not an indictment of the Alaska Public Defender Agency nor its attorneys. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? 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. 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. Without a doubt, the new director will get this order for a variety of reasons, and will be thinking about how we can do things more efficiently, Moody said. 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. 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. Cruise Ship Killers | True Crime Network Many questions remain unanswered Wednesday, including the identity of the woman. It's unclear who the woman is, but authorities are working to identify her and determine how she died. 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. "Same exactly happens to homicide cases. The callertold police the memory card was found layingin the middle of the street in the Fairview neighborhood of Anchorage. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teacher's aide. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. 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. [9] A box of Salem matches were found in a pocket of her jacket, indicating she may have been a smoker. 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. Her body was found along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage on Oct. 2. Thursday evening Live Doppler 13 forecast - Feb. 9, 2023. [14], In 1984, Robert Hansen admitted that he was responsible for the victim's death. 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. has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, and was taken to Anchorage Jail. Here, "it's more groups of people who know each other and engage in high-risk behavior together," he said. During the initial 911 call, Doubek reportedly had slurred, garbled speech and admitted to shooting his wife, according to the affidavit. 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. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com. According to the affidavit, the couple had separate bedrooms. She was aged between 16 and 25 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered several months after her murder. Suzi Pearson, executive director for the Abused Womens Aid in Crisis shelter in Anchorage, said the decision to split up or leave a relationship can be a particularly dangerous time in the life of a woman experiencing domestic violence. Overwhelmingly, people were killed with guns: Gunfire was involved in all but four of the year's homicides. TODAY - Anna Kaplan 18h. In 2004 a 40-year-old lady named Merrian was taking a cruise to Alaska on board the Celebrity Mercury. But they point out the majority of them were either involved in risky behavior or killed by someone they knew. 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. Pilot Projects Launched to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous "We are working on the Ship Creek case still and the Valley of the Moon Park," said Markiewicz. I don't believe it.". In that case, her father was charged with the killing. Authorities were expected to announce charges on the case on Thursday. Press Release - Anchorage Man Sentenced to Ninty-Nine Years - Alaska 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. A millionaire widower and her teenaged daughter take a fivestar cruise together. We learned sometimes the hard way in the past.". Time stamps on the images at the hotel showed they were taken in the early hours of Sept. 4, the affidavit said. Around 2010, he left Alaska and spent time in Las Vegas before moving to Virginia, where his parents now live. He said Eklutna Annie was either an exotic dancer from a local bar or a prostitute and that she was his first murder victim,[15] adding that she had been murdered in the fall or early winter of 1979. The organization had previously released a digital reconstruction, and a clay bust of Eklutna Annie had also been created in the past. 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. 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. She said he never exhibited any violent tendencies such as those she heard of from police. The three cases police still considerunsolved are the deaths of Marcus Cosby Jr., 24, Elijah Zeller, 18, and Ian Bobich, 29. "That tells us other people believe it is a good place," he said. Many of the victims were young. She is the only victim of Robert Hansen to remain unidentified. 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. Troopers arrived hours later and interviewed Walters, who admitted to beating Queenie, his 22-year-old girlfriend, with his fists and a broom handle. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll told reporters Abouchuk's family reported her missing in February, but he said she had last been seen by them in July 2018. If you or someone you know is struggling with a substance use disorder, help is available. His hair was long. Skidmore said the number of prosecutors is rebounding following a reduction years earlier and now includes more than 120 attorneys. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Man arrested for murder after SD card with video of crime found on street. Doubek slept downstairs. 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. 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. Anchorage police say 8-month-old baby found safe; father arrested on This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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. 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. Gardner slept upstairs. Photos apparently show the woman underneath a blanketon a hotel luggage cart near a truck and in the truck bed, per the document. She has not been identified. When troopers arrived, they found Doubek lying just inside the front door. Hoffman, 19, died from a gunshot wound to the. Couple in Alaska cruise ship murder seemed like "perfect American In a lot of ways I think it is generational," McKinnon said. MacDonald, who was appointed by then-Gov. Or are people just angrier?" Published: Jan. 27, 2022 at 4:27 PM PST. Warming water may be to blame. 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. 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Alaska woman pleads guilty to killing 'best friend' after man catfished All rights reserved. He had started Friday night with two of the people closest to him: family friend Ronda Marcy and his mother, Elann "Lennie" Moren. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen). Deadliest state: For women in Alaska, rape and murder are too common The memory card found along road shows an Anchorage man assaulting and killing woman. Investigators believe the remains along the highway belonged to the woman killed in the videos and they believe Smith killed her in early Septemberand recorded the photos and videos himself. In the Lower 48, gangs are more organized and act as outside-the-law businesses, pushing drugs and weapons in defined territories. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. 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. Two days later, both Brehmer and McIntosh were interviewed. Anchorage police say 8-month-old baby found safe; father arrested on 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. Theres a new fight over Bering Sea black cod. The images showed a naked woman being beaten on the floor of a hotel room, according to the affidavit. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. ALASKAN MURDER: ENIGMA WITHIN AN ENIGMA - The New York Times 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. CALIFORNIA MAN SENTENCED AFTER FORMER ROOMMATE FOUND DEAD, BLUDGEONED INSIDE WALL. (Image from East High School 1994 yearbook and APD handout). As Merritt approachedAndrew Robertson-Goughnor, police said, Robertson-Goughnor shot him. Police do not believe Ritchie was involved with any otherunsolved slayingsin 2016. 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. We still dont know who she is and we dont know much about her," said Thim. Days later, on Oct. 2, police officers found human remains on the side of a highway. People were shot to death at a gas station, in a beloved park in the heart of the city, on a scenic beach where people go to look at the mountains.