The callertold police the memory card was found layingin the middle of the street in the Fairview neighborhood of Anchorage. [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. Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. 32. "He had a leather jacket on and blue jeans, with a hoodie. April 23, 2021. Time stamps on the images at the hotel showed they were taken in the early hours of Sept. 4, the affidavit said. 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. 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. Jorge Rea-Villa, a handsome tattoo artist who went to a Fourth of July barbecue and ended up dead. According to court papers, the group went off trail and followed a path to the bank of the Eklutna River, where Hoffman was bound, shot and thrown into the river. Shannon Duke. A Wasilla woman was shot four times at home Sunday night and her husband is charged with her murder, according to Alaska State Troopers. Deputy District Attorney Brittany Dunlop said the process calls for the case to be brought before a grand jury. When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. 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. data the agency has presented to the Legislature. In September, the death of a man in the middle of a busy intersectionshut down anelementary school and a middle schoolwhile police investigated the killing. Alaska copscharged an Anchorage man with murderTuesday after shocking videos found on a mysterious memory card allegedly capturedthe suspectassaulting and killing a woman whose remains were recently discoverednear a highway. Gov. Detectives saythey have a "good understanding" of what happened and who was involved in each of those cases. Around 2010, he left Alaska and spent time in Las Vegas before moving to Virginia, where his parents now live. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. 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 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. 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. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. An earlier version of the chart in this story incorrectly stated that it included fatal officer-involved shootings and justifiable homicides. Photos apparently show the woman underneath a blanketon a hotel luggage cart near a truck and in the truck bed, per the document. After Mr. Mackay and the pilot's sister, Muriel . Thursday evening Live Doppler 13 forecast - Feb. 9, 2023. Copyright 2021 KTUU. This week, Brian Smith, 48, was charged with first-degree murder in the case, the Anchorage Police Department said in a Wednesday statement. Smith is originally from South Africa. Doug Moody, a supervisor at the Public Defender Agency, said in a phone interview Tuesday that Cherot will be reviewing MacDonalds critique. (Obituary photo). Published: Jul. Our salaries up here used to be the draw, an attorney for the agency said. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. "Is it a greater population? 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. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. Other witnesses described seeing a bloody man threatening to jump off the ship. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. All rights reserved. Lucas Moren himself had cleaned up the bloody scene of the machete attack on his mother. She disappeared without a trace. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. Doubek did not attend his scheduled arraignment Thursday. It had 39 images and 12 videos that recorded the alleged crime. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". "We haven't found evidence that anyone other than Ritchie is involved.". In January 2013, an associate professor wrote a letter of recommendation for Ritchie, who was apparently applying for an internship. 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. High winds cause damage, power outages across central Indiana . She is the only victim of Robert Hansen to remain unidentified. Police said they will release the name of the deceased woman once her identity is confirmed and family is notified. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Thats going to escalate things tremendously because when were talking about misuse of substances, that inhibition is gone. All rights reserved. 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. She said he never exhibited any violent tendencies such as those she heard of from police. When troopers arrived, they found Doubek lying just inside the front door. Marcy keeps running over the questions in her mind: Why is this happening in Anchorage? You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. Of the 34 victims, 14 were under the age of 25. James Dale Ritchie was a senior at East High School in 1994. In some villages, city and tribal leaders say they have no choice but to hire convicted criminals as cops. "Same exactly happens to homicide cases. 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. His hair was long. She deserves just as much as a search for her people as any other victim, as any other survivor. (Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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.. 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. The womans body was found last week along the Seward Highway south of the city. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Such delays typically benefit defendants and make it harder for prosecutors to secure convictions, said Alaska Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore. Police are careful not to blame victims of violent crimes. 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! "We are working on the Ship Creek case still and the Valley of the Moon Park," said Markiewicz. 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. He has not yet entered a plea. According to court documents and evidence presented . Just two years ago, in 2014, Anchorage ended the year with 13 homicides on the books the lowest in two decades. A district attorney has been selected to oversee the Bethel office and Skidmore said he is in talks with the North Slope Borough in hopes of funding the first Utqiagvik-based district attorney in several years. Police solved an Alaskan murder with a memory card found along road. She championed any child she met that needed a second chance for success, her obituary said. The Alaska Public Defender Agencys longtime director, Quinlan Steiner, announced his resignation in April. 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. Brian . 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. Or are people just angrier?" (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). Thim said Smith was subsequently connected to the remains discovered on the highway through hotel records and cell-phone data. Days later, on Oct. 2, police officers found human remains on the side of a highway. All rights reserved. He was returning to Anchorage, where he lives, Thim said. At 41, he was a bachelor. According to police, the arrest came after someone reported finding a digital storage device containing video of the killing. All rights reserved. It's not that clear-cut, said McKinnon. 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. He moved back to Alaska in the spring of 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. Warming water may be to blame. Investigators believe the remains along the highway belonged to the woman killed in the videos and they believe Smith killed her in early Septemberand recorded the photos and videos himself. 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. "That's what's been fascinating.". 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. All rights reserved. (Anchorage, AK) - On April 22, 2021, thirty-one year-old Randall Igou was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Eric Aarseth for Murder in the First Degree. On Wednesday,. Smith remained in jail on Wednesday where he is being held on an outstanding warrant. An ongoing Daily News and ProPublica investigation has found that one in three Alaska communities has no local law enforcement of any kind. 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. 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. Armando Velador Padilla, 46, was taken into custody after the. Officers arrested Brian Steven Smith, 48, Tuesday afternoon, an Anchorage Police Department statement said. (In addition to the 75 criminal attorneys, about 25 more work on appeals and childrens cases.) According to a press release from the Alaska Department of Law, Charlie was sentenced to 75 years . Read about our approach to external linking. Of the34 homicides in 2016, all but three are considered solved, with police identifying at least a main suspect, according to Sgt. When substance misuse and mental health problems are part of the dynamic, it heightens the risk, she said. 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. 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 Midtown hotel room. [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. 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. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. 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. Doubek and Gardner shared a home in a Wasilla neighborhood off of Snowshoe Lane. He told Anchorage District Court Judge Brian Clark that he had about $2,000 in total saved. 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. Legal Statement. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? When is Eurovision and how do you get tickets? According to police, the arrest came. 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. 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. 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. Schauer shot Moren several times, police say, though they have not said why. 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. 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. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster gave invocation at Kenai Assembly meeting, Even more cruise ships are coming to Alaska in 2020. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. We learned sometimes the hard way in the past.". Hansen specifically stated she was his first murder victim. Gardner slept upstairs. Early on Christmas Eve, James "Lucas" Moren became Anchorage homicide victimNo. "I'd say a great number of our citizens don't engage in any activity that's considered dangerous.". Man arrested for murder after SD card with video of crime found on street. 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. [9][12] She stood between 4 ft 11 in and 5 ft 3 in, and her hair color ranged from light brown to strawberry-blond. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. [2][4], Serial killer Robert Hansen admitted responsibility for Eklutna Annie's murder in 1984. 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. 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. I don't believe it.". This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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. 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. Alaska Public Media 2022. What science tells us about the afterlife. ' said APD communications director MJ Thim.