Police said they will release the name of the deceased woman once her identity is confirmed and family is notified. Market data provided by Factset. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? 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. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. With the SD card, one of the first questions that detectives had to answer was, Was this staged, or did this really happen? APD provided a recent photograph of Ritchie. Indiana man enters not guilty pleas in Alaska murder plot Authorities were expected to announce charges on the case on Thursday. For many, it was the year the city's violence hit home,even if they didn't personally know any of the victims. 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. Our salaries up here used to be the draw, an attorney for the agency said. Pilot Projects Launched to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous He was returning to Anchorage, where he lives, Thim said. But they point out the majority of them were either involved in risky behavior or killed by someone they knew. But I feel that in the air.". Among those charged is Darin Schilmiller, whom authorities say presented himself as the millionaire Tyler from Kansas, using a fake photograph. 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. The callertold police the memory card was found layingin the middle of the street in the Fairview neighborhood of Anchorage. 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. Schauer shot Moren several times, police say, though they have not said why. Some people have speculated gangs are to blame for the bloodshed. The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares, from the US state of Utah. 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. According to the affidavit, the couple had separate bedrooms. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teacher's aide. Brehmer ultimately admitted to being solicited by Schilmiller to commit the murder and that the murder was planned once she realized she had been catfished by Schilmiller, the documents say. Witnesses say she was travelling with her children. She was aged between 16 and 25 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered several months after her murder. 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. (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 . [4][7][n 1], Eklutna Annie's body was markedly decomposed, indicating her death had occurred months prior. 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 . It appeared that Smith recorded them himself, according to the affidavit. "We haven't found evidence that anyone other than Ritchie is involved.". Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity on a social network account to deceive a specific victim. CLICK TO VISIT THE ALL-NEW FOXBUSINESS.COM. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "He had a leather jacket on and blue jeans, with a hoodie. Alaska murder mystery twist: Memory card found along road shows man Catfisher Convinced Alaska Teens to Murder a Developmentally Disabled Policeinvestigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting in downtown Anchorage onNovember 12, 2016. 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. Anna Bill, a former Mountain Village police officer honored by the Alaska Federation of Natives for her advocacy on behalf of Alaska Native women and children, said the homicide was devastating for the victims family. Shannon Duke. MacDonald, who was appointed by then-Gov. 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. He also told officials Brehmer communicated with him throughout the murder, and sent Snapchat photographs and videos of Hoffman while bound and then after the murder. Anchorage police: Homicide video victim - Alaska Public Media When substance misuse and mental health problems are part of the dynamic, it heightens the risk, she said. 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. There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. She said she was not a police officer in the village at the time of the killing. Hoffman was allegedly best friends with Brehmer, and she was chosen by the group as the victim, the documents say. They were all going to spend Christmas together the next day. When troopers arrived, they found Doubek lying just inside the front door. He then attempted to placate her, before pulling a gun, saying: "You do exactly as I say and you won't get hurt. Police recognized the man in the videos as Brian Smith, an immigrant from South Africa police knew of from a previous investigation," according to the affidavit. 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. So far, nothing has been found. MacDonald denied the request, saying his findings are not an indictment of the Alaska Public Defender Agency nor its attorneys. A memorial for James Lucas Moren in an alley behind the Gaslight Bar on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. An economic thing happening? "She championed any child. All rights reserved. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Doubek and Gardner shared a home in a Wasilla neighborhood off of Snowshoe Lane. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. (Google). 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. 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. "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. Judge: case of slain Mountain Village woman shows how Alaska's justice 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. or redistributed. Rodgers went on to kill another man in Anchorage and shoot two others who survived before his 26-hour rampage ended. Days later, on Oct. 2, police officers found human remains on the side of a highway. Thim said Smith was subsequently connected to the remains discovered on the highway through hotel records and cell-phone data. All rights reserved. In 2004 a 40-year-old lady named Merrian was taking a cruise to Alaska on board the Celebrity Mercury. Of the34 homicides in 2016, all but three are considered solved, with police identifying at least a main suspect, according to Sgt. Skidmore said the number of prosecutors is rebounding following a reduction years earlier and now includes more than 120 attorneys. Passengers describe learning woman died aboard Alaska cruise ship Kyle Hopkins and Nat Herz, Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. 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. Thats going to escalate things tremendously because when were talking about misuse of substances, that inhibition is gone. Other images showed the woman covered in a white sheet, being moved through a parking lot to a truck. (Loren Holmes / ADN). Brian Steven Smith during his arraignment Wednesday. Many of the victims were young. Deputy District Attorney Brittany Dunlop said the process calls for the case to be brought before a grand jury. But a bail memorandum filed in the case . MacDonald declined to be interviewed, saying that Walters case is still open. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. Early on Christmas Eve, James "Lucas" Moren became Anchorage homicide victimNo. State prosecutors say Darin Lee Jones, 54, and Shawn Michael Phillips, 52, killed Patricia Phelps, 48, in Anchorage's Spenard neighborhood in 2017. Man accused of killing woman, recording it is charged in 2nd Alaska murder 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.. Her eldest daughter Chloe was killed with her. According to online court records, no new trial date has been set in the killing of Gertrude Queenie. The memory card was labeled "homicide at midtown Marriott" and contained 39 images and 12 videos of an assault and 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. Judges appoint public defenders for defendants who cant afford to hire their own lawyers. 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.. "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. [n 2], The remains of Eklutna Annie are interred at the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, under a marker reading "Jane Doe / Died 1980".[21][22]. Throughout 2016, Ritchie murdered upwards of five individuals in and around Anchorage, Alaska, most of whom were in parks or along bike paths. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! The Department of Law asked that Smith'sbond be set at $2 million. Read about our approach to external linking. Doug Moody, a supervisor at the Public Defender Agency, said in a phone interview Tuesday that Cherot will be reviewing MacDonalds critique. 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. Veronica Abouchuck, left, and Kathleen Henry. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. Moody, the Alaska Public Defender Agency supervisor, said there are currently 11 vacant attorney positions out of 98 statewide. In some villages, city and tribal leaders say they have no choice but to hire convicted criminals as cops. Jorge Rea-Villa, a handsome tattoo artist who went to a Fourth of July barbecue and ended up dead. Alaska Native Man's Unsolved Murder Part of 'Epidemic' Anchorage's deadly year: With 34 homicide victims, violence hits home Gardner slept upstairs. [9] A box of Salem matches were found in a pocket of her jacket, indicating she may have been a smoker. A millionaire widower and her teenaged daughter take a fivestar cruise together. "In the fog and the white light, I saw him walking down the alley," Marcy said. Smith, 48, appeared in Anchorage Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon. The images showed a naked woman being beaten on the floor of a hotel room, according to the affidavit. 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. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The three cases police still considerunsolved are the deaths of Marcus Cosby Jr., 24, Elijah Zeller, 18, and Ian Bobich, 29. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. According to court documents, Denali Brehmer, 18, confessed to killing Cynthia Hoffman on June 2 at the . His wife is not implicated in the slaying. TODAY - Anna Kaplan 18h. 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. ", "DNA Match IDs Alaska Serial Killer's Victim After 37 Years", https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14666142/?ref_=ttep_ep3, https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2020/09/22/do-you-know-this-woman/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Eklutna_Annie&oldid=1140185336, Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, Anchorage, Alaska. Princess Cruises said 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares of Utah. 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. Police detectivesdon't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause. Federal Jury Convicts Anchorage Man on Murder and Drug Charges He moved back to Alaska in the spring of 2016. Man accused of killing 23-year-old daughter in Anchorage charged with Troopers arrived hours later and interviewed Walters, who admitted to beating Queenie, his 22-year-old girlfriend, with his fists and a broom handle. 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. [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. (Erik Hill / Alaska Dispatch News). 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. She said he never exhibited any violent tendencies such as those she heard of from police. 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Other witnesses described seeing a bloody man threatening to jump off the ship. TENNESSEE COLLEGE STUDENT ACCUSED OF FATAL SHOOTING IN DORM. Hoffman, 19, died from a gunshot wound to the. or redistributed. Her fiance was killed. On Wednesday,. Brian Steven Smith is arraigned Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019 on a charge of first-degree murder at the Anchorage Jail courtroom. 2019, on charges of murder in Anchorage, Alaska. 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! 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. But detectives had gotten video of the homicide days prior to finding the victims body, police said. 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. MacDonalds order and decision are part of the ongoing effort to hold a criminal trial in Fairbanks for Walters, who was 34 when troopers arrested him Oct. 5, 2017, in Mountain Village on charges of murder, assault and evidence tampering. But the 2016 toll also reflects one extraordinary factor:a potential serial killer apparently targeting strangers. 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. Doubek slept downstairs. 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. 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.". An ongoing Daily News and ProPublica investigation has found that one in three Alaska communities has no local law enforcement of any kind. Anchorage police identified the second victim as Veronica Abouchuk. 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. She disappeared without a trace. ' said APD communications director MJ Thim. Alaska Public Media 2022. "Loose lips sink ships," Markiewicz said. 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. Police did not say why the SD card was in the street, but they believe Smith recorded the images himself, according to the AP. 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 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. Ritchie was killed during a shootout with police officers in downtown Anchorage on November 12, 2016. 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. We still dont know who she is and we dont know much about her," said Thim. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. What science tells us about the afterlife. 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. 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. He said Eklutna Annie was either an exotic dancer from a local bar or a prostitute and that she was his first murder victim,[15] adding that she had been murdered in the fall or early winter of 1979. 28, 2020 at 10:10 AM PDT. Just two years ago, in 2014, Anchorage ended the year with 13 homicides on the books the lowest in two decades. The next year,that number nearly doubled, to 25. 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 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. Together, the homicides pose a question for Anchorage: What made 2016 so deadly? 2022 Anchorage Daily News. 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. Doubek did not attend his scheduled arraignment Thursday. 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. Smith is originally from South Africa. McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city.
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