Many of the victims were young. (Bill Roth / ADN). "Is it a greater population? 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. The case marks the second killing in less than six months involving a video. More than three dozenimages and 12 videos were stored on the card, according to the charging documents. 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. MacDonald, who was appointed by then-Gov. It did not include those deaths. Public records show that he lives in a home in the Geneva Woods neighborhood, and a social media profile that appears to belong to him says he married an Anchorage woman in 2014. [3][4], Eklutna Annie was murdered by serial killer Robert Hansen, most likely in 1979. The Alaska teens are being represented by the public defenders office, which has a policy of not commenting on cases. 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. Last Monday, Sept. 30, a woman called police dispatch to report that shed found an SD card containing a video of a homicide on the ground, police said. Warming water may be to blame. (Obituary photo). The victim has. He was returning to Anchorage, where he lives, Thim said. 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 Anchorage office is expected to open on August 27. 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. New documents from Ritchie'stime at community collegein Virginiapresent a portrait of a striving engineering student whose work was so good that a professor wrote in a 2013 letter of recommendation that he gradedRitchie's exams first and used them as the test's key. Skidmore said the number of prosecutors is rebounding following a reduction years earlier and now includes more than 120 attorneys. I was the only one there, I did that, I killed her, he told investigators, according to the charges. The Alaska Public Defender Agencys longtime director, Quinlan Steiner, announced his resignation in April. Putting names to archive photos, China looks at reforms to deepen Xi's control, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, In photos: India's disappearing single-screen cinemas. When is Eurovision and how do you get tickets? 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. 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. All rights reserved. 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. The Department of Law asked that Smith'sbond be set at $2 million. An autopsy report concluded that she had been killed by a single stab wound to the back. The millionaire's only demand for the payout was either . At 41, he was a bachelor. Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. What science tells us about the afterlife. 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. 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. Legal Statement. 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. Man arrested for murder after SD card with video of crime found on street. [Here are the most-read Alaska Dispatch News stories of 2016]. He always committed his murders at night, often around midnight or a short time after. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. Moody, the Alaska Public Defender Agency supervisor, said there are currently 11 vacant attorney positions out of 98 statewide. 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 . Doug Moody, a supervisor at the Public Defender Agency, said in a phone interview Tuesday that Cherot will be reviewing MacDonalds critique. Theres a new fight over Bering Sea black cod. In January 2013, an associate professor wrote a letter of recommendation for Ritchie, who was apparently applying for an internship. Copyright 2021 KTUU. "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. 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. 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. Published: Jul. 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. A handwritten note laid on a nearby bench with the words Shes havin an affair proof is in the phone. An affidavit filed with the criminal complaint against him details a strange chain of events that led police to a trove of gruesome videos and photos. She deserves just as much as a search for her people as any other victim, as any other survivor. Zaz Hollander is a veteran journalist based in the Mat-Su and is currently an ADN local news editor and reporter. He was sentenced to 498 years in prison for the murder spree. 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.. APD asked morning commuters to avoid the area. Ritchie was killed during a shootout with police officers in downtown Anchorage on November 12, 2016. Alaska emergency officials issued an AMBER Alert for 8-month-old boy Ahmiri Chaney on Feb. 17, 2023. . (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). "[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". Online court records did not list an attorney for Schilmiller. CLICK TO VISIT THE ALL-NEW FOXBUSINESS.COM. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teacher's aide. or redistributed. Slawomir Markiewicz, the Anchorage Police Department's top detective. We learned sometimes the hard way in the past.". Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "She sounded pretty desperate, but the crew came up as quickly as they could", he said, adding that the incident occurred on the 9th floor of the 19-deck ship. 2023 BBC. He also told them hehad shot another woman and revealed where he dumped her body. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. April 23, 2021. They were all going to spend Christmas together the next day. Feds: Eagle River nurse prescribed 4 million opiates in 5 years, contributed to two overdose deaths. Kristy Manzanares had been travelling with a large group, including her children, according to witnesses. Months before the alleged hit . Such delays typically benefit defendants and make it harder for prosecutors to secure convictions, said Alaska Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore. Gardner was shot four times, according to the charging documents. Brehmer agreed to commit the murder for him.. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Jorge Rea-Villa, a handsome tattoo artist who went to a Fourth of July barbecue and ended up dead. 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. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Content Warning: This article contains information that might be difficult for some readers. Police are careful not to blame victims of violent crimes. And so somebody who might have been using emotional abuse and threats and that sort of thing may escalate into more physical violence, Pearson said. His wife is not implicated in the slaying. 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!" In 2011 and 2012, Ritchie was named to the President's List at Blue Mountain Community College in Weyers Cave, in western Virginia, according to school documents obtained by Alaska Dispatch News. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Moren, a patron at the bar, was shot and killed in the alley as the bar was closing early in the morning on Dec. 24. Nancy Furlow . 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. A 48-year-old Anchorage man was charged with murder after someone found a digital card containing dozens of videos and photos that authorities say show him beating and killing a woman in a. On Sept. 30, someone called Anchorage police claiming to have found an SD card containing video of a homicide. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen). When substance misuse and mental health problems are part of the dynamic, it heightens the risk, she said. It was first broadcast on May 9th, 2021. A corrections officer told the court Doubek was on suicide protocols and unable to participate. 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. Market data provided by Factset. The trial has been delayed at least 15 times at the request of the defense, according to MacDonalds order. The case remains open, and numerous efforts have been made to determine the identity of the decedent, including several forensic facial reconstructions of how she may have appeared in life. In a lot of ways I think it is generational," McKinnon said. All rights reserved. The millionaires only demand for the payout was either photos or video of the slaying, according to court documents laying out first-degree murder and other charges against six people in the June 2 death of 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman. APD officer Arn Salao was wounded and the suspect, James Dale Ritchie, was killed in the early-morning shootout. Police were able to identify Smith, a native of South Africa, from the video after recognizing him from a separate, unspecified investigation, in part because of his accent. The show Very Scary People profiled Robert Hansen in "The Butcher Baker". The Associated Press contributed to this report. "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. He worked in construction and kitchens, said Marcy, a paralegal. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. (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 . 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. 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. "He had a leather jacket on and blue jeans, with a hoodie. Doubek and Gardner shared a home in a Wasilla neighborhood off of Snowshoe Lane. Schilmiller admitted to federal agents and Indiana State Police his role in the plot, saying he chose Hoffman as the victim and he told Brehmer to kill her, according to the court documents. 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. Reporter Jeff Parrott contributed to this story. Nationally, the homicide clearance rate hovers around 64 percent, according to statistics from the FBI. Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity on a social network account to deceive a specific victim. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com. Alaska Public Media 2022. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Our salaries up here used to be the draw, an attorney for the agency said. Even after that request was granted, Steiner said at a legislative budget hearing in March that he needed at least nine more lawyers, on top of an existing staff of roughly 75 criminal attorneys, to fulfill the agencys constitutional obligations. Marcy keeps running over the questions in her mind: Why is this happening in Anchorage? Thursday evening Live Doppler 13 forecast - Feb. 9, 2023. The group met to decide how they would divvy up the money. She championed any child she met that needed a second chance for success, her obituary said. 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. Around 2010, he left Alaska and spent time in Las Vegas before moving to Virginia, where his parents now live. 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. This story was produced as part of a collaboration between Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News. 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. 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. 28, 2020 at 10:10 AM PDT. Brian . Other witnesses described seeing a bloody man threatening to jump off the ship. 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. Police continued to investigate and interviewed her two days later after Snapchat video appeared, in which she appeared to confess, the documents say. Cynthia Hoffman. 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. But the 2016 toll also reflects one extraordinary factor:a potential serial killer apparently targeting strangers. 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 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. 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. She had hit the wall, an acting supervisor later told the judge. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". James Dale Ritchie was a senior at East High School in 1994. All but one of the victims in those cases were female. When troopers arrived, they found Doubek lying just inside the front door. Days later, on Oct. 2, police officers found human remains on the side of a highway. 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 . The FBI is investigating the death because it occurred in US waters. The memory card found along road shows an Anchorage man assaulting and killing woman. 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. Anchorage Police Department personnelwere investigating a fatal shooting near 15th Avenue and E Street early Sept. 13, 2016. In the Lower 48, gangs are more organized and act as outside-the-law businesses, pushing drugs and weapons in defined territories. But detectives had gotten video of the homicide days prior to finding the victims body, police said. All rights reserved. Doubek did not attend his scheduled arraignment Thursday. Doubek slept downstairs. A memorial for James Lucas Moren in an alley behind the Gaslight Bar on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. The caller told police the memory card had been found laying in the middle of the street of an Anchorage neighborhood. 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. All rights reserved. A Snapchat video showed two of the teens accused of killing 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman near the Thunderbird Falls trailhead in June apparently discussing the crime. According to online court records, no new trial date has been set in the killing of Gertrude Queenie. He had started Friday night with two of the people closest to him: family friend Ronda Marcy and his mother, Elann "Lennie" Moren. 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. IE 11 is not supported. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. 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. ", "Alaska State Troopers: Unidentified Body", "Serial Killer Robert Hansen Dies in Anchorage", "Serial Killer's Victim Exhumed In Alaska: Who Is 'Horseshoe Harriet'? It had 39 images and 12 videos that recorded the alleged crime. Read about our approach to external linking. "That tells us other people believe it is a good place," he said. (Scott Jensen / Alaska Dispatch News). [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. 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. The callertold police the memory card was found layingin the middle of the street in the Fairview neighborhood of Anchorage. Judges appoint public defenders for defendants who cant afford to hire their own lawyers. MacDonald declined to be interviewed, saying that Walters case is still open. 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 Chief Justin Doll told reporters Abouchuk's family reported her missing in February, but he said she had. McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city. APDsays when Moren left the Gaslight Lounge later that night,he was followedby Roy Schauer, 46. When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares, from the US state of Utah. And they say despite the number of killings, suspects are at large in very few of the cases. "I'd say a great number of our citizens don't engage in any activity that's considered dangerous.". 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 FBI is testing his DNA in a nationwide database that may reveal if he is linked to any crimes in other states, McKinnon said. Veronica Abouchuck, left, and Kathleen Henry. He told Anchorage District Court Judge Brian Clark that he had about $2,000 in total saved. Fiesers account supports a complaint filed by prosecutors charging Doubek with the murder of his wife, 54-year-old Marjorie Gardner. 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.. "We are working on the Ship Creek case still and the Valley of the Moon Park," said Markiewicz. (Loren Holmes / ADN). Of the34 homicides in 2016, all but three are considered solved, with police identifying at least a main suspect, according to Sgt. ThatFriday, she dropped him off for an evening out downtown. 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. Smith appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge said he'd be appointed a public defender. Brehmer then enlisted the help of four friends, including 19-year-old Caleb Leyland, 16-year-old Kayden McIntosh and two other unnamed juveniles, to plan and carry out the murder at Schilmillers direction, according to the documents. "Why life seems harder, why things seem scarier why is that? The next year,that number nearly doubled, to 25. Authorities were expected to announce charges on the case on Thursday. Ritchie is considered the main suspect in those killings, said Markiewicz. Do you know this baby? Of the 34 victims, 14 were under the age of 25. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. 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. After Mr. Mackay and the pilot's sister, Muriel . 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. On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Smith onmurder and evidence tampering charges in Abouchuk's death. Hoffman was allegedly best friends with Brehmer, and she was chosen by the group as the victim, the documents say. 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. 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 images showed a naked woman being beaten on the floor of a hotel room, according to the affidavit. According to court documents, Denali Brehmer, 18, confessed to killing Cynthia Hoffman on June 2 at the . State prosecutors say Darin Lee Jones, 54, and Shawn Michael Phillips, 52, killed Patricia Phelps, 48, in Anchorage's Spenard neighborhood in 2017. 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 . The . Federal authorities allege Brehmer produced sexually explicit videos involving a minor and sent them to Schilmiller. While the agencys inflation-adjusted spending has doubled in the past 30 years, its felony caseload has tripled, it says. 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.