Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? Contact her at zhollander@adn.com. [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! 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. And they say despite the number of killings, suspects are at large in very few of the cases. TENNESSEE COLLEGE STUDENT ACCUSED OF FATAL SHOOTING IN DORM. The Anchorage office is expected to open on August 27. [8] He died in prison in August 2014. Her body was found along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage on Oct. 2. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. Read about our approach to external linking. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. Witnesses say she was travelling with her children. When troopers arrived, they found Doubek lying just inside the front door. "Same exactly happens to homicide cases. All but one of the victims in those cases were female. 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. Thim declined to say anything about the other investigation, or whether Smith is a suspect in other crimes. Couldnt take it anymore., A second note was found among Doubeks belongings that according to troopers, discussed possible drug dealers and that one of them was having an affair with his wife.. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. On Sept. 30, police received a report from someone saying they had found an SD card containing several videos of an assault and murder. Anchorage police identified thesecond victim as Veronica Abouchuk. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he said. But APD isnot ready to close the cases. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". 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. 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. 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 warned Metzger against scurrying around in district court, spending time on lesser felony cases instead of the homicide case, according to her motion. She was aged between 16 and 25 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered several months after her murder. Kyle Hopkins and Nat Herz, Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. In February 2017, 37-year-old Brandy Sullivan, an Alaska Airlines customer-service agent who lived in an upscale Anchorage suburb, was allegedly shot and killed by her estranged husband.. Police detectivesdon't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause. 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. Copyright 2021 KTUU. 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. Legal Statement. (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 . So far, nothing has been found. 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. Two days later, both Brehmer and McIntosh were interviewed. The FBI is testing his DNA in a nationwide database that may reveal if he is linked to any crimes in other states, McKinnon said. But detectives had gotten video of the homicide days prior to finding the victims body, police said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. [9] A box of Salem matches were found in a pocket of her jacket, indicating she may have been a smoker. 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. 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. According to the affidavit, the couple had separate bedrooms. Detectives knew almost immediately that something was wrong, that someones loved one was killed when they found her remains, he said. [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. Many questions remain unanswered Wednesday, including the identity of the woman. On the whole they are to be commended for all they do in the face of serious institutional limits, he wrote. Authorities who have reviewed the videos and photos said they remembered Smith from another investigationand found he was registered in early September to a room at a local hotel that has carpet that matches the one seen in the footage. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. / 61.1254; -149.5234. "Why life seems harder, why things seem scarier why is that? 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. Advocate for missing and murdered women, reflecting on the ongoing efforts to identify Eklutna Annie[18], Eklutna Annie remains unidentified. 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 . Legal Statement. Read about our approach to external linking. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? She championed any child she met that needed a second chance for success, her obituary said. APD officer Arn Salao was wounded and the suspect, James Dale Ritchie, was killed in the early-morning shootout. 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. The images showed a naked woman being beaten on the floor of a hotel room, according to the affidavit. 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. Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, the womans body was found along Turnagain Arm, near the Rainbow trailhead. After Mr. Mackay and the pilot's sister, Muriel . Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll told reporters Abouchuk's family reported her missing in February, but he said she had. However, when Eklutna Annie realized he was not driving in the direction of his home, she first asked him to drive her back to Anchorage, before he unsuccessfully attempted to convince her he was driving her to another safe location, claiming he was driving a "little further", to which Eklutna Annie replied, "Well, I'm not!" This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, He had then stabbed her once in the back with a black-handled Buck knife as she lay face-down. 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. Deputy District Attorney Brittany Dunlop said the process calls for the case to be brought before a grand jury. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Troopers arrived hours later and interviewed Walters, who admitted to beating Queenie, his 22-year-old girlfriend, with his fists and a broom handle. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Nancy Furlow . 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. 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. Police continued to investigate and interviewed her two days later after Snapchat video appeared, in which she appeared to confess, the documents say. 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. Alaska Public Media 2022. [16], Hansen was sentenced to 461 years in prison without the possibility of parole for her murder and three others. Resources can be found by calling Alaska 211 or visiting the State of Alaskas website to find treatment options. 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. According to court documents, Denali Brehmer, 18, confessed to killing Cynthia Hoffman on June 2 at the . Gardner was a beloved community member, devoted mother and a part-owner of Hilltop Recycling, a long-standing staple of the Chugiak area, according to her family. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Or are people just angrier?" In some villages, city and tribal leaders say they have no choice but to hire convicted criminals as cops. At one point, the agencys seven-attorney Bethel office was down to three, he said. Human remains found along Seward Highway near Rainbow trailhead. Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. But they point out the majority of them were either involved in risky behavior or killed by someone they knew. All rights reserved. "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. 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.". Anchorage Police investigate the scene where human remains we found at mile 108 of the Seward Highway near Rainbow on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. 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. 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. All rights reserved. He stepped out of the car and said goodbye to his mom and Marcy. Officers arrested Brian Steven Smith, 48, Tuesday afternoon, an Anchorage Police Department statement said. All rights reserved. This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 21:52. Michelle Theriault Boots is a reporter who covers news and features about life in Alaska, and has been focusing on corrections and psychiatric care issues in the state. ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Utah couple was celebrating their wedding anniversary aboard an Alaska cruise when the husband was found covered in blood next to his wife's lifeless body, a frenzy of . "We haven't found evidence that anyone other than Ritchie is involved.". 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. Published: Jan. 27, 2022 at 4:27 PM PST. The millionaire's only demand for the payout was either . 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. All rights reserved. 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. 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. McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city. Theres also the question of how an SD card containing images and videos of a slaying, labeled Homicide at midtown Marriott, came to be discarded on a busy Anchorage street. 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. Each of the three men died from gunshot wounds. 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. 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. 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. On Sept. 30, someone called Anchorage police claiming to have found an SD card containing video of a homicide. What science tells us about the afterlife. During the initial 911 call, Doubek reportedly had slurred, garbled speech and admitted to shooting his wife, according to the affidavit. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Brian Steven Smith is shown being arraigned on a charge of first-degree murder at the Anchorage Jail courtroom Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska. Mar 6th 600p DARLA Recently retired newly weds embark on their third tropical cruise in less than year. die.". She had hit the wall, an acting supervisor later told the judge. 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. All rights reserved. MacDonald declined to be interviewed, saying that Walters case is still open. 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. According to the charges, his mother called to report the attack and Walters fired a shotgun when two Village Police Officers attempted to approach him. [7] He further recollected: "I picked her up downtown and told her I was going to take her to my home". Troopers: Wasilla woman killed, husband charged with her murder, 2023 Iditarod pre-race coverage and Ceremonial Start, Melissa Fry has the forecast for the Iditarod restart in Willow, Animal rights group PETA continues targeting Iditarod sponsors. 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". 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. Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 17 are here. has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, and was taken to Anchorage Jail. He has since been released, now in the custody of authorities, and is charged with first- and second-degree murder. or redistributed. He always committed his murders at night, often around midnight or a short time after. [14], In 1984, Robert Hansen admitted that he was responsible for the victim's death. "It depends on what we're looking at as far as danger," said McKinnon, speaking generally about citizen safety and homicides in 2016. 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 . 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. she said. 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. 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. But a bail memorandum filed in the case . That puts APD at a more than 90 percent "clearance" rate for homicide cases. Parents would be wise to monitor the activity of their children online.. The trial has been delayed at least 15 times at the request of the defense, according to MacDonalds order. I'll stand behind him, beside him, while he's going through this," Bissland added. Little is known about Smith, the man charged. 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. Smith came to Alaska from South Africa about five years ago and became a naturalized U.S. citizen last month, according to the bail memo. Overwhelmingly, people were killed with guns: Gunfire was involved in all but four of the year's homicides. Other witnesses described seeing a bloody man threatening to jump off the ship. [5][3][10], An autopsy of Eklutna Annie's body revealed she was petite in stature,[11] and most likely white, although she may have had a degree of Native American heritage. "That tells us other people believe it is a good place," he said. On Wednesday,. 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. 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". The FBI is investigating the death because it occurred in US waters. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The year's final tally surpasses even the 29 deathsthat occurred in 1995, at the time attributed by officials to gang and drug activity. 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 woman attempted to fight back, the affidavit said. "Is it a greater population? 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. An ongoing Daily News and ProPublica investigation has found that one in three Alaska communities has no local law enforcement of any kind. A Wasilla woman was shot four times at home Sunday night and her husband is charged with her murder, according to Alaska State Troopers. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The . Schauer shot Moren several times, police say, though they have not said why. 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. 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. In May, 19-year-old Brandon Merritt went to a Holiday gas station and exchanged words with another man, according to police. Skidmore said the number of prosecutors is rebounding following a reduction years earlier and now includes more than 120 attorneys. The Alaska Public Defender Agencys longtime director, Quinlan Steiner, announced his resignation in April. According to Hansen, he had first attempted to placate Eklutna Annie as he restrained her, falsely claiming he did not intend to harm her, although she responded: "You are! ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Content Warning: This article contains information that might be difficult for some readers. He was unable to "remember whether she was a prostitute or [a] dancer", although he did state he believed she was from Kodiak, Alaska. A memorial for James Lucas Moren in an alley behind the Gaslight Bar on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. Feds: Eagle River nurse prescribed 4 million opiates in 5 years, contributed to two overdose deaths. Brian Smith . There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. 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. 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. Here, "it's more groups of people who know each other and engage in high-risk behavior together," he said. The videos show a woman being strangled and in one Smith can be heard saying just die. The videosshow Henry face down in the back of a truck.
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