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. Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 17 are here. She was aged between 16 and 25 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered several months after her murder. When is Eurovision and how do you get tickets? (Scott Jensen / Alaska Dispatch News). 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". Smith appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge said he'd be appointed a public defender. "James recognized the potential issue and has appropriate (sic) adjusted his behavior to make himself more inviting for others to seek help. Ritchie was killed during a shootout with police officers in downtown Anchorage on November 12, 2016. 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. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. Warming water may be to blame. Don't kill me!" We still dont know who she is and we dont know much about her," said Thim. Brian Smith . [7] He further recollected: "I picked her up downtown and told her I was going to take her to my home". You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 28, 2020 at 10:10 AM PDT. Of the34 homicides in 2016, all but three are considered solved, with police identifying at least a main suspect, according to Sgt. The Anchorage Police Department has identified the victim as Kathleen J. Henry, 30, according to a statement released Thursday afternoon. Gardner was shot four times, according to the charging documents. Published: Jul. 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 show Very Scary People profiled Robert Hansen in "The Butcher Baker". 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. 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. According to court documents, Denali Brehmer, 18, confessed to killing Cynthia Hoffman on June 2 at the . 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. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. Ian Bobich, 29, was found shot to death outside this Elm Street apartment building just before midnight Monday, Oct. 24, 2016, on Government Hill. Thim declined to say anything about the other investigation, or whether Smith is a suspect in other crimes. 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. 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. 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. [sic] A manwith some sort of English accent can be heard in the video as well. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll told reporters Abouchuk's family reported her missing in February, but he said she had. In May, 19-year-old Brandon Merritt went to a Holiday gas station and exchanged words with another man, according to police. 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. 1 language. Throughout 2016, Ritchie murdered upwards of five individuals in and around Anchorage, Alaska, most of whom were in parks or along bike paths. 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. 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. "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. All rights reserved. An economic thing happening? 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. She had hit the wall, an acting supervisor later told the judge. (Bob Hallinen / Alaska Dispatch News). ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Content Warning: This article contains information that might be difficult for some readers. The Department of Law asked that Smith'sbond be set at $2 million. Market data provided by Factset. 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. This story was produced as part of a collaboration between Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News. Anchorage Police Department personnelwere investigating a fatal shooting near 15th Avenue and E Street early Sept. 13, 2016. MacDonald declined to be interviewed, saying that Walters case is still open. Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. For many, it was the year the city's violence hit home,even if they didn't personally know any of the victims. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Doubek and Gardner shared a home in a Wasilla neighborhood off of Snowshoe Lane. 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. Smith had registered a room at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott the night the video was taken, according to the affidavit. she said. Gardner slept upstairs. Legal Statement. Legal Statement. 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. MacDonald denied the request, saying his findings are not an indictment of the Alaska Public Defender Agency nor its attorneys. [8] He died in prison in August 2014. 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. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he said. 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. It appeared that Smith recorded them himself, according to the affidavit. 32. Hoffman was allegedly best friends with Brehmer, and she was chosen by the group as the victim, the documents say. If you or someone you know is struggling with a substance use disorder, help is available. He has since been released, now in the custody of authorities, and is charged with first- and second-degree murder. The death on Tuesday night triggered a lockdown of the 3,400-passenger ship. or redistributed. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster gave invocation at Kenai Assembly meeting, Even more cruise ships are coming to Alaska in 2020. 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. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. Read about our approach to external linking. Troopers arrived hours later and interviewed Walters, who admitted to beating Queenie, his 22-year-old girlfriend, with his fists and a broom handle. They are unwilling to share details of crimes in which charges have not been filed. 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". She is the only victim of Robert Hansen to remain unidentified. 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. On the whole they are to be commended for all they do in the face of serious institutional limits, he wrote. High winds cause damage, power outages across central Indiana . or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Schauer shot Moren several times, police say, though they have not said why. 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. 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. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. She has not been identified. 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. All rights reserved. Police detectivesdon't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause. Policeinvestigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting in downtown Anchorage onNovember 12, 2016. All the white people are getting done first while the Natives get pushed to the back burner, Bill wrote in a Facebook message, when asked about the case. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. A handwritten note laid on a nearby bench with the words Shes havin an affair proof is in the phone. The year's final tally surpasses even the 29 deathsthat occurred in 1995, at the time attributed by officials to gang and drug activity. Resources can be found by calling Alaska 211 or visiting the State of Alaskas website to find treatment options. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com. Shannon Duke. He was unable to "remember whether she was a prostitute or [a] dancer", although he did state he believed she was from Kodiak, Alaska. 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. ", Autumn Smith. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. In 2004 a 40-year-old lady named Merrian was taking a cruise to Alaska on board the Celebrity Mercury. 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. 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. 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. Hoffman, 19, died from a gunshot wound to the. There wasSelena Mullenax, a young mother studying for her GEDfound shotin a public park on a winter morning. "That's our plan to create a better police presence," McKinnon said. "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. Such delays typically benefit defendants and make it harder for prosecutors to secure convictions, said Alaska Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore. [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. 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. 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. The womans body was found last week along the Seward Highway south of the city. With the SD card, one of the first questions that detectives had to answer was, Was this staged, or did this really happen? There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. ThatFriday, she dropped him off for an evening out downtown. 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. On Sept. 30, police received a report from someone saying they had found an SD card containing several videos of an assault and murder. Thats going to escalate things tremendously because when were talking about misuse of substances, that inhibition is gone. Detectives saythey have a "good understanding" of what happened and who was involved in each of those cases. State prosecutors say Darin Lee Jones, 54, and Shawn Michael Phillips, 52, killed Patricia Phelps, 48, in Anchorage's Spenard neighborhood in 2017. 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. Lucas Moren himself had cleaned up the bloody scene of the machete attack on his mother. 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. Two days later, both Brehmer and McIntosh were interviewed. 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. Smith is charged with first-degree murder. 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 January 2013, an associate professor wrote a letter of recommendation for Ritchie, who was apparently applying for an internship. The graphic videos show a woman being strangled and a mans voice saying justdie, the Associated Press reported. Denali Brehmer, 22, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder in the June 2019 death of Cynthia Hoffman, the Alaska Department of Law said. Witnesses say she was travelling with her children. But they are working to build a case meeting the evidence threshold that would allow for prosecution, Markiewicz said. 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. Doug Moody, a supervisor at the Public Defender Agency, said in a phone interview Tuesday that Cherot will be reviewing MacDonalds critique. He stepped out of the car and said goodbye to his mom and Marcy. The case marks the second killing in less than six months involving a video. 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. Nationally, the homicide clearance rate hovers around 64 percent, according to statistics from the FBI. Read about our approach to external linking. Thursday evening Live Doppler 13 forecast - Feb. 9, 2023. [17], To date, Roxane Easland, Karen Evan, Megan Emerick, and Teresa Davis have been ruled out as being Eklutna Annie. While the agencys inflation-adjusted spending has doubled in the past 30 years, its felony caseload has tripled, it says. In the years since, he'd helped her live with lasting injuries. Anchorage police investigate a fatal shooting at the Holiday Gas Station located on Abbott Road on Wednesday evening, May 25, 2016. He has not yet entered a plea. 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. 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. At one June hearing, shortly before she resigned, the public defender noted she was working a double case load. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). 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. As of Oct. 9, police said they were still working with the state medical examiner to determine her identity and contact her next of kin. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. He was sentenced to 498 years in prison for the murder spree. He always committed his murders at night, often around midnight or a short time after. In arguments included with MacDonalds order, public defenders described an agency at its breaking point, struggling to retain experienced attorneys and unable to compete for recruits against cities with a lower cost of living and comparable pay. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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. Online court records did not list an attorney for Schilmiller. 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. 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 . Photos apparently show the woman underneath a blanketon a hotel luggage cart near a truck and in the truck bed, per the document. 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. This week, Brian Smith, 48, was charged with first-degree murder in the case, the Anchorage Police Department said in a Wednesday statement. "We haven't found evidence that anyone other than Ritchie is involved.". The Alaska teens are being represented by the public defenders office, which has a policy of not commenting on cases. According to online court records, no new trial date has been set in the killing of Gertrude Queenie. Feds: Eagle River nurse prescribed 4 million opiates in 5 years, contributed to two overdose deaths. 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. (Google). On Sept. 30, someone called Anchorage police claiming to have found an SD card containing video of a homicide. 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. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. "I'd say a great number of our citizens don't engage in any activity that's considered dangerous.". The Public Defender Agencys budget, meanwhile, has grown by 9 percent in the past two years. 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. 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. In the Lower 48, gangs are more organized and act as outside-the-law businesses, pushing drugs and weapons in defined territories. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. A memorial for James Lucas Moren in an alley behind the Gaslight Bar on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. 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. Around 2010, he left Alaska and spent time in Las Vegas before moving to Virginia, where his parents now live. Anchorage Police investigate the scene where human remains we found at mile 108 of the Seward Highway near Rainbow on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019.
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