You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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 are careful not to blame victims of violent crimes. 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. At one June hearing, shortly before she resigned, the public defender noted she was working a double case load. But the 2016 toll also reflects one extraordinary factor:a potential serial killer apparently targeting strangers. "I'd say a great number of our citizens don't engage in any activity that's considered dangerous.". 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. They are unwilling to share details of crimes in which charges have not been filed. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Her family was not contacted and her items were removed from her cabin. 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. 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. 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. 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. He told Anchorage District Court Judge Brian Clark that he had about $2,000 in total saved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. The Public Defender Agencys budget, meanwhile, has grown by 9 percent in the past two years. Little is known about Smith, the man charged. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. "Because of his knowledge other students identify him as a potential source of aid but may have been intimidated by his high level of self confidence," the letter said. data the agency has presented to the Legislature. MacDonald, who was appointed by then-Gov. All rights reserved. The year's final tally surpasses even the 29 deathsthat occurred in 1995, at the time attributed by officials to gang and drug activity. Her body was found along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage on Oct. 2. 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. "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 State Troopers: Unidentified Body", "Serial Killer Robert Hansen Dies in Anchorage", "Serial Killer's Victim Exhumed In Alaska: Who Is 'Horseshoe Harriet'? 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. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com. Hoffman was allegedly best friends with Brehmer, and she was chosen by the group as the victim, the documents say. 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. He stepped out of the car and said goodbye to his mom and Marcy. Early on Christmas Eve, James "Lucas" Moren became Anchorage homicide victimNo. [4][7][n 1], Eklutna Annie's body was markedly decomposed, indicating her death had occurred months prior. In the years since, he'd helped her live with lasting injuries. The millionaire's only demand for the payout was either . All rights reserved. The majority of victims were killed by someone they knew. According to the affidavit, the couple had separate bedrooms. When substance misuse and mental health problems are part of the dynamic, it heightens the risk, she said. 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. 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. Zaz Hollander is a veteran journalist based in the Mat-Su and is currently an ADN local news editor and reporter. Legal Statement. Brian Steven Smith, a 48-year-old reportedly from South Africa, was arrested at Ted Stevens International Airport after investigators linked him to the crime. This story was produced as part of a collaboration between Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News. ' said APD communications director MJ Thim. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. State lawmakers this year held the public defenders base budget effectively flat, though they included some $1.3 million, or a roughly 5 percent boost, in separate criminal justice legislation that was expected to generate more prosecutions. He also allegedly told authorities that he and Brehmer discussed killing another person, but the plan was abandoned, and he admitted to blackmailing Brehmer into raping people. Brian Steven Smith is arraigned Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019 on a charge of first-degree murder at the Anchorage Jail courtroom. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? 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!" But I feel that in the air.". 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. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. 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. It appeared that Smith recorded them himself, according to the affidavit. Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. At 41, he was a bachelor. (Obituary photo). Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity on a social network account to deceive a specific victim. 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. "That's what's been fascinating.". Making the decision to leave, to start the processes for divorce or anything like that, that definitely would escalate the situation and increase lethality for that victim, Pearson said. According to court documents and evidence presented . The womans body was found last week along the Seward Highway south of the city. 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. She disappeared without a trace. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Police do not believe Ritchie was involved with any otherunsolved slayingsin 2016. Smith remained in jail on Wednesday where he is being held on an outstanding warrant. MacDonald declined to be interviewed, saying that Walters case is still open. 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 . Anchorage police investigate a fatal shooting at the Holiday Gas Station located on Abbott Road on Wednesday evening, May 25, 2016. An ongoing Daily News and ProPublica investigation has found that one in three Alaska communities has no local law enforcement of any kind. He had started Friday night with two of the people closest to him: family friend Ronda Marcy and his mother, Elann "Lennie" Moren. After troopers arrived, Doubek was given first aid and taken to a hospital. Gardner slept upstairs. 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. 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. A corrections officer told the court Doubek was on suicide protocols and unable to participate. In 2017, the year Queenie was killed, the rate of women killed by men in Alaska was three times the national average and the highest in the United States, according to the Violence Policy Center. In a separate federal investigation rising from the investigation, Schilmiller and Brehmer were indicted Tuesday on federal child pornography charges, including production and coercion and enticement of a minor. All rights reserved. Reporter Jeff Parrott contributed to this story. [3][4], Eklutna Annie was murdered by serial killer Robert Hansen, most likely in 1979. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, the womans body was found along Turnagain Arm, near the Rainbow trailhead. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. For many, it was the year the city's violence hit home,even if they didn't personally know any of the victims. But APD isnot ready to close the cases. It's unclear who the woman is, but authorities are working to identify her and determine how she died. 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. 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. Veronica Abouchuck, left, and Kathleen Henry. 2023 BBC. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". They were all going to spend Christmas together the next day. On Wednesday,. (Erik Hill / Alaska Dispatch News). 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. LOUISIANA MAN ARRESTED IN 1989 MURDER CASE: POLICE. [16], Hansen was sentenced to 461 years in prison without the possibility of parole for her murder and three others. or redistributed. 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. Officials said there was no indication Hoffman was sexually assaulted. 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.". / 61.1254; -149.5234. I don't believe it.". Detectives saythey have a "good understanding" of what happened and who was involved in each of those cases. Time stamps on the images at the hotel showed they were taken in the early hours of Sept. 4, the affidavit said. "That's our plan to create a better police presence," McKinnon said. 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. (Image from East High School 1994 yearbook and APD handout). ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) The Iditarod, the world's most famous sled dog race, starts Saturday with a fan-friendly ceremonial run through the streets of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. McIntosh, who is being tried as an adult in the case, was the gunman, prosecutors say. The domestic violence-related cases range from amother accused of suffocating her infant daughter,to a man accused of fatally shootinghis son-in-law. MacDonald serves as the presiding judge for the Fairbanks-based Fourth Judicial District. 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. Nancy Furlow . But they point out the majority of them were either involved in risky behavior or killed by someone they knew. 1 language. Published: Jul. 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 science tells us about the afterlife. This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 21:52. And he blamed the dysfunction not on managers but on spending plans and policy decisions made by Alaska governors and lawmakers over the years, and continuing to this day. Skidmore said the number of prosecutors is rebounding following a reduction years earlier and now includes more than 120 attorneys. 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. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he said. [7] He further recollected: "I picked her up downtown and told her I was going to take her to my home". Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. Police detectivesdon't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause. [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. The Alaska Public Defender Agencys longtime director, Quinlan Steiner, announced his resignation in April. "He had a leather jacket on and blue jeans, with a hoodie. 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. "That tells us other people believe it is a good place," he said. A memorial for James Lucas Moren in an alley behind the Gaslight Bar on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. The show Very Scary People profiled Robert Hansen in "The Butcher Baker". ThatFriday, she dropped him off for an evening out downtown. Police say the majority of the deaths fall into the same tragic but predictable circumstances that thread through homicides every year: domestic violence, personal disputes escalated by a weapon, robberies gone bad.