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. 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. For many, it was the year the city's violence hit home,even if they didn't personally know any of the victims. State prosecutors say Darin Lee Jones, 54, and Shawn Michael Phillips, 52, killed Patricia Phelps, 48, in Anchorage's Spenard neighborhood in 2017. With the SD card, one of the first questions that detectives had to answer was, Was this staged, or did this really happen? Authorities say Schilmiller, who has been arrested in New Salisbury, Indiana, and will be transferred to Alaska next month, began an online relationship with 18-year-old Denali Brehmer of Anchorage, posing as Tyler. 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. 28, 2020 at 10:10 AM PDT. "James recognized the potential issue and has appropriate (sic) adjusted his behavior to make himself more inviting for others to seek help. Troopers arrived hours later and interviewed Walters, who admitted to beating Queenie, his 22-year-old girlfriend, with his fists and a broom handle. When substance misuse and mental health problems are part of the dynamic, it heightens the risk, she said. 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. At 41, he was a bachelor. 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. Thim declined to say anything about the other investigation, or whether Smith is a suspect in other crimes. 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. All rights reserved. The year'shomicides include at least seven domestic violence killings, where the victim is believed to have beenslain by an intimate partner or someone in their immediate family. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. His wife is not implicated in the slaying. All rights reserved. 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. As Merritt approachedAndrew Robertson-Goughnor, police said, Robertson-Goughnor shot him. On Wednesday,. Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, the womans body was found along Turnagain Arm, near the Rainbow trailhead. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Read about our approach to external linking. "Why life seems harder, why things seem scarier why is that? LOUISIANA MAN ARRESTED IN 1989 MURDER CASE: POLICE. 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. 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. This week, Brian Smith, 48, was charged with first-degree murder in the case, the Anchorage Police Department said in a Wednesday statement. 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. Warming water may be to blame. 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.. An Alaskan murder mystery has been solved thanks to a SD card found laying in the street. After troopers arrived, Doubek was given first aid and taken to a hospital. Of the34 homicides in 2016, all but three are considered solved, with police identifying at least a main suspect, according to Sgt. Anchorage Police investigate the scene where human remains we found at mile 108 of the Seward Highway near Rainbow on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. But I feel that in the air.". According to a press release from the Alaska Department of Law, Charlie was sentenced to 75 years . Marcytook every votive candle she could find in her house, plus a piece of Christmas pie in plasticwrap, to leave as an offering at a makeshift altar another corner of Anchorage turned into an impromptu memorial for a person killed in 2016. Corrections:This article originally incorrectly stated that a homicide had taken place in the Kempton Hills subdivision in 2016. 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. (Scott Jensen / Alaska Dispatch News). The same year, Ritchie was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, an honor society for two-year colleges, and graduated from Blue Mountain Community College with an associate degree in science, according to his diploma. 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. Police are careful not to blame victims of violent crimes. The callertold police the memory card was found layingin the middle of the street in the Fairview neighborhood of Anchorage. "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. Other images showed the woman covered in a white sheet, being moved through a parking lot to a truck. Anchorage police investigate a fatal shooting at the Holiday Gas Station located on Abbott Road on Wednesday evening, May 25, 2016. 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. "I'd say a great number of our citizens don't engage in any activity that's considered dangerous.". The card was also labeled homicide at midtown Mariott. Doubek and Gardner shared a home in a Wasilla neighborhood off of Snowshoe Lane. 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. The images showed a naked woman being beaten on the floor of a hotel room, according to the affidavit. Market data provided by Factset. 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. CALIFORNIA MAN SENTENCED AFTER FORMER ROOMMATE FOUND DEAD, BLUDGEONED INSIDE WALL. 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. Anchorage police identified thesecond victim as Veronica Abouchuk. 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. According to Hansen, Eklutna Annie had been wearing blue jeans, a sweater, and a brown leather jacket. In response, he chased after her, grabbed her by the hair and tripped her to the ground. She disappeared without a trace. I don't believe it.". 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 . But they point out the majority of them were either involved in risky behavior or killed by someone they knew. 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. The department is also trying to directly ask the public for help more often. [sic] A manwith some sort of English accent can be heard in the video as well. 32. For all the good the internet can do, it can be a very dark place, Bryan Schroder, the U.S. attorney in Alaska, said at a news conference Tuesday. "We are working on the Ship Creek case still and the Valley of the Moon Park," said Markiewicz. "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. Theres a new fight over Bering Sea black cod. 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. Mike Dunleavy named Steiners replacement Tuesday: Samantha Cherot of Anchorage, who has worked both as a public defender and a private criminal defense and family attorney. She championed any child she met that needed a second chance for success, her obituary said. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. On the whole they are to be commended for all they do in the face of serious institutional limits, he wrote. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. 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. Other witnesses described seeing a bloody man threatening to jump off the ship. When a composite sketch of the man suspected in the death of TreyveonThompson was released, more than 190 people called in tips, McKinnon said. The majority of victims were killed by someone they knew. Brian . Market data provided by Factset. 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. MacDonald serves as the presiding judge for the Fairbanks-based Fourth Judicial District. A memorial for James Lucas Moren in an alley behind the Gaslight Bar on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. "In the fog and the white light, I saw him walking down the alley," Marcy said. All rights reserved. Her family was not contacted and her items were removed from her cabin. Ian Bobich, 29, was found shot to death outside this Elm Street apartment building just before midnight Monday, Oct. 24, 2016, on Government Hill. He has since been released, now in the custody of authorities, and is charged with first- and second-degree murder. The group met to decide how they would divvy up the money. He also told officials Brehmer communicated with him throughout the murder, and sent Snapchat photographs and videos of Hoffman while bound and then after the murder. It was first broadcast on May 9th, 2021. Some people have speculated gangs are to blame for the bloodshed. In 2016, some 34 people were killed by homicide in Anchorage. Among those charged is Darin Schilmiller, whom authorities say presented himself as the millionaire Tyler from Kansas, using a fake photograph. Legal Statement. Legal Statement. An autopsy report concluded that she had been killed by a single stab wound to the back. [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]. Princess Cruises said 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares of Utah. Smith is originally from South Africa. The Emerald Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, had departed from Seattle on Sunday for a week-long trip. (Bill Roth / ADN). 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. Months before the alleged hit . Legal Statement. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. In June, U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr declared a public safety emergency in the state, announcing $10.5 million in funding for village police, equipment and public safety buildings. The Anchorage Police Department has identified the victim as Kathleen J. Henry, 30, according to a statement released Thursday afternoon. Doug Moody, a supervisor at the Public Defender Agency, said in a phone interview Tuesday that Cherot will be reviewing MacDonalds critique. [9] A box of Salem matches were found in a pocket of her jacket, indicating she may have been a smoker. The next year,that number nearly doubled, to 25. In January 2013, an associate professor wrote a letter of recommendation for Ritchie, who was apparently applying for an internship. He moved back to Alaska in the spring of 2016. He was returning to Anchorage, where he lives, Thim said. 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. The year's final tally surpasses even the 29 deathsthat occurred in 1995, at the time attributed by officials to gang and drug activity. One man, James Dale Ritchie, is the prime suspect in five deaths. Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. 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. 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. 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. When troopers arrived, they found Doubek lying just inside the front door. 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. But its workload is growing more quickly just between the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years, it saw a 16 percent increase in felony cases statewide, according to data the agency has presented to the Legislature. Copyright 2021 KTUU. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, "She championed any child. What science tells us about the afterlife. A millionaire widower and her teenaged daughter take a fivestar cruise together. He warned Metzger against scurrying around in district court, spending time on lesser felony cases instead of the homicide case, according to her motion. He isnow charged with murder. 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. 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. At one point, the agencys seven-attorney Bethel office was down to three, he said. "He had a leather jacket on and blue jeans, with a hoodie. 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. In the Lower 48, gangs are more organized and act as outside-the-law businesses, pushing drugs and weapons in defined territories. Ritchie was killed during a shootout with police officers in downtown Anchorage on November 12, 2016. Resources can be found by calling Alaska 211 or visiting the State of Alaskas website to find treatment options. Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 17 are here. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll told reporters Abouchuk's family reported her missing in February, but he said she had. He told Anchorage District Court Judge Brian Clark that he had about $2,000 in total saved. data the agency has presented to the Legislature. An Alaska resident found a stray SD card lying on the street in late September and discovered gruesome content inside: images and video of a woman appearing to be assaulted and murdered. It had 39 images and 12 videos that recorded the alleged crime. IE 11 is not supported. Advocate for missing and murdered women, reflecting on the ongoing efforts to identify Eklutna Annie[18], Eklutna Annie remains unidentified. It appeared that Smith recorded them himself, according to the affidavit. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. 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. 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. [10], As Eklutna Annie struggled against his efforts to overpower her, she had screamed, "Don't kill me! Alaska Public Media 2022. MacDonald denied the request, saying his findings are not an indictment of the Alaska Public Defender Agency nor its attorneys. 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. 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. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The woman, who has not yet been identified, is described as having long dark hair and possibly being Alaska Native. 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. 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. 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Smith has a truck matching the one in the images, and pings from his cellphone put him along Rainbow Valley Road off the Seward Highway, near where the womans body was found, within minutes of the last time-stamped photos of the body, the affidavit 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. Her eldest daughter Chloe was killed with her. In September 2020, a revised facial reconstruction of the victim was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The victim has. Feds: Eagle River nurse prescribed 4 million opiates in 5 years, contributed to two overdose deaths. The killings happened in nearly every corner of Anchorage: from an Eagle River apartment complex toa normally quietsouth-sidesubdivision. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All rights reserved. It took 26 days after Merrian's disappearance for her to be reported as a missing person and for the search for her to start. 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 Department of Law asked that Smith'sbond be set at $2 million. 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. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. 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. Legal Statement. All rights reserved. Her body was found along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage on Oct. 2. [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. 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. 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. 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. The death on Tuesday night triggered a lockdown of the 3,400-passenger ship. While the agencys inflation-adjusted spending has doubled in the past 30 years, its felony caseload has tripled, it says. Policeinvestigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting in downtown Anchorage onNovember 12, 2016. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. An update released by Anchorage Police four months later stated they had taken a then 21-year-old named Orion Lind into custody but no charges were brought over Brandon's murder. Officials said there was no indication Hoffman was sexually assaulted. The Alaska teens are being represented by the public defenders office, which has a policy of not commenting on cases. 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. [2][4], Serial killer Robert Hansen admitted responsibility for Eklutna Annie's murder in 1984. 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. 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. He worked in construction and kitchens, said Marcy, a paralegal. 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. Police do not believe Ritchie was involved with any otherunsolved slayingsin 2016. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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