All rights reserved. The State Medical Examiner Office is working to confirm her identity and manner of death. 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. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. 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.". CALIFORNIA MAN SENTENCED AFTER FORMER ROOMMATE FOUND DEAD, BLUDGEONED INSIDE WALL. A man charged with murder is accused of fatally stabbing his 23-year-old daughter Friday in Anchorage's Fairview neighborhood. The show Very Scary People profiled Robert Hansen in "The Butcher Baker". Hoffman, 19, died from a gunshot wound to the. or redistributed. 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. data the agency has presented to the Legislature. 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. She disappeared without a trace. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. All but one of the victims in those cases were female. As Merritt approachedAndrew Robertson-Goughnor, police said, Robertson-Goughnor shot him. Federal authorities allege Brehmer produced sexually explicit videos involving a minor and sent them to Schilmiller. Theres also the question of how an SD card containing images and videos of a slaying, labeled Homicide at midtown Marriott, came to be discarded on a busy Anchorage street. In a lot of ways I think it is generational," McKinnon said. Its just really incredibly disheartening, Pearson said. MacDonald serves as the presiding judge for the Fairbanks-based Fourth Judicial District. "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. 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. Without a doubt, the new director will get this order for a variety of reasons, and will be thinking about how we can do things more efficiently, Moody said. The memory card was labeled "homicide at midtown Marriott" and contained 39 images and 12 videos of an assault and murder. MacDonald denied the request, saying his findings are not an indictment of the Alaska Public Defender Agency nor its attorneys. Incident happened aboard the Emerald Princess cruise ship (file picture), Harry: I always felt different to rest of family, Inside the enclave surrounded by pro-Russia forces, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, Canadian grandma helps police snag phone scammer. [2][4], Serial killer Robert Hansen admitted responsibility for Eklutna Annie's murder in 1984. Here, "it's more groups of people who know each other and engage in high-risk behavior together," he said. Market data provided by Factset. "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. (Image from East High School 1994 yearbook and APD handout). 2022 Anchorage Daily News. Feds: Eagle River nurse prescribed 4 million opiates in 5 years, contributed to two overdose deaths. TENNESSEE COLLEGE STUDENT ACCUSED OF FATAL SHOOTING IN DORM. [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]. 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. 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. When a composite sketch of the man suspected in the death of TreyveonThompson was released, more than 190 people called in tips, McKinnon said. 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. James Dale Ritchie was a senior at East High School in 1994. Legal Statement. Troopers: Wasilla woman killed, husband charged with her murder An autopsy report concluded that she had been killed by a single stab wound to the back. All rights reserved. (In addition to the 75 criminal attorneys, about 25 more work on appeals and childrens cases.) "That's our plan to create a better police presence," McKinnon said. The memory card found along road shows an Anchorage man assaulting and killing woman. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teacher's aide. Press Release - Anchorage Man Sentenced to Ninty-Nine Years - Alaska Photos apparently show the woman underneath a blanketon a hotel luggage cart near a truck and in the truck bed, per the document. The three cases police still considerunsolved are the deaths of Marcus Cosby Jr., 24, Elijah Zeller, 18, and Ian Bobich, 29. Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. It is routine for me to enter class seeing several other students at the board with James as he provides guidance not only for my class but other classes as well.". Anchorage man sentenced to 55 years in prison for murder of Alaska Zoo The year'shomicides include at least seven domestic violence killings, where the victim is believed to have beenslain by an intimate partner or someone in their immediate family. 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. Alaska Teen Killed Friend After Man Online Allegedly Offered $9M Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Passengers describe learning woman died aboard Alaska cruise ship TODAY - Anna Kaplan 18h. "In the fog and the white light, I saw him walking down the alley," Marcy said. The memory card, which was labeled homicide at midtown Marriott, was given to police by the woman who found it, charging documents obtained by NBC affiliate KTUU in Anchorage showed. 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. Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. He stepped out of the car and said goodbye to his mom and Marcy. Or are people just angrier?" Legal Statement. She deserves just as much as a search for her people as any other victim, as any other survivor. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. "We are working on the Ship Creek case still and the Valley of the Moon Park," said Markiewicz. "She championed any child. 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. At 41, he was a bachelor. (Scott Jensen / Alaska Dispatch News). Thim declined to say anything about the other investigation, or whether Smith is a suspect in other crimes. "We haven't found evidence that anyone other than Ritchie is involved.". In September 2020, a revised facial reconstruction of the victim was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. A Wasilla woman was shot four times at home Sunday night and her husband is charged with her murder, according to Alaska State Troopers. On Christmas Day, the people who loved Lucas Moren gathered in the alley behind the Gaslight. In May, 19-year-old Brandon Merritt went to a Holiday gas station and exchanged words with another man, according to police. There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. 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. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Clayton Andrew Charlie, who pleaded guilty in 2019 to second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a groundskeeper at the Alaska Zoo, has been sentenced to 55 years in prison. The next year,that number nearly doubled, to 25. At one June hearing, shortly before she resigned, the public defender noted she was working a double case load. The case marks the second killing in less than six months involving a video. It was first broadcast on May 9th, 2021. Rodgers went on to kill another man in Anchorage and shoot two others who survived before his 26-hour rampage ended. During the initial 911 call, Doubek reportedly had slurred, garbled speech and admitted to shooting his wife, according to the affidavit. Smith has a truck matching the one in the images, and pings from his cellphone put him along Rainbow Valley Road off the Seward Highway, near where the womans body was found, within minutes of the last time-stamped photos of the body, the affidavit said. The millionaire's only demand for the payout was either . ", Autumn Smith. 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. 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. 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 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. The state of Alaskas criminal justice system is operating on the fringes, barely able to protect against the deprivation of fundamental rights, barely able to respond in a professionally responsible manner to Alaska (s) rising violent crime rates, Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Michael A. MacDonald wrote in a blistering Aug. 30 decision, which has previously not been reported. Alaska murder mystery twist: Memory card found along road shows man Our salaries up here used to be the draw, an attorney for the agency said. Smith, 48, appeared in Anchorage Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon. 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. "Loose lips sink ships," Markiewicz said. Published: Jan. 27, 2022 at 4:27 PM PST. 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. "Is it a greater population? "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. She had hit the wall, an acting supervisor later told the judge. Smith remained in jail on Wednesday where he is being held on an outstanding warrant. 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. The card was also labeled homicide at midtown Mariott. 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. Police have only definitively named him as the gunman in one killing, that of Treyveon Thompson on July 29. Each of the three men died from gunshot wounds. It's not that clear-cut, said McKinnon. [9] A box of Salem matches were found in a pocket of her jacket, indicating she may have been a smoker. The Newman Family Murders. Who brutally assaulted and killed Nancy "Why life seems harder, why things seem scarier why is that? The Associated Press contributed to this report. After human remains were found along a highway just south of Anchorage two days after the memory card was found, police were able to start putting pieces together. Deputy District Attorney Brittany Dunlop said the process calls for the case to be brought before a grand jury. Police solved an Alaskan murder with a memory card found along road. APD officer Arn Salao was wounded and the suspect, James Dale Ritchie, was killed in the early-morning shootout. Ritchie is considered the main suspect in those killings, said Markiewicz. James Dale Ritchie - Wikipedia Resources can be found by calling Alaska 211 or visiting the State of Alaskas website to find treatment options. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. He was returning to Anchorage, where he lives, Thim 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. But detectives had gotten video of the homicide days prior to finding the victims body, police said. With the SD card, one of the first questions that detectives had to answer was, Was this staged, or did this really happen? 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. 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. Reporter Jeff Parrott contributed to this story. Two days later, both Brehmer and McIntosh were interviewed. Parents would be wise to monitor the activity of their children online.. That puts APD at a more than 90 percent "clearance" rate for homicide cases. He has not yet entered a plea. [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. 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. When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. She said he never exhibited any violent tendencies such as those she heard of from police. Detectives knew almost immediately that something was wrong, that someones loved one was killed when they found her remains, he said. "It depends on what we're looking at as far as danger," said McKinnon, speaking generally about citizen safety and homicides in 2016. Her fiance was killed. She wore several articles of clothing, including a brown leather hip-length jacket, a light-colored knitted sleeveless shirt (possibly white, beige, or light gray in color), blue jeans, and red, knee-high, high-heeled, zip-up boots. When is Eurovision and how do you get tickets? You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. A handwritten note laid on a nearby bench with the words Shes havin an affair proof is in the phone. This story was produced as part of a collaboration between Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News. Upon examining the card, police said it"contained several videos which appeared to show the assault and subsequent homicide of an adult female" and an investigation was opened. The callertold police the memory card was found layingin the middle of the street in the Fairview neighborhood of Anchorage. Human remains found along Seward Highway near Rainbow trailhead. He also told them hehad shot another woman and revealed where he dumped her body. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Content Warning: This article contains information that might be difficult for some readers. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. 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. 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. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. Police have not identified the victim, who is said to have been killed during the first week of September. APD provided a recent photograph of Ritchie. Market data provided by Factset. He had then stabbed her once in the back with a black-handled Buck knife as she lay face-down. This week, Brian Smith, 48, was charged with first-degree murder in the case, the Anchorage Police Department said in a Wednesday statement. 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. 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. Of the 34 victims, 14 were under the age of 25. 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! 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. 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. 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The organization had previously released a digital reconstruction, and a clay bust of Eklutna Annie had also been created in the past. 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. Smith was taken into custody on an arrest warrant for first-degree murder Tuesday afternoon at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, police said in an online release announcing the arrest Wednesday. Authorities were expected to announce charges on the case on Thursday. Troopers arrived hours later and interviewed Walters, who admitted to beating Queenie, his 22-year-old girlfriend, with his fists and a broom handle. The FBI is investigating the death because it occurred in US waters. He was sentenced to 498 years in prison for the murder spree. Lucas Moren himself had cleaned up the bloody scene of the machete attack on his mother. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he said. The death on Tuesday night triggered a lockdown of the 3,400-passenger ship. 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. ' said APD communications director MJ Thim. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. The Emerald Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, had departed from Seattle on Sunday for a week-long trip. Marcy keeps running over the questions in her mind: Why is this happening in Anchorage? [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. Detectives arrested Smith at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to APD. State prosecutors say Darin Lee Jones, 54, and Shawn Michael Phillips, 52, killed Patricia Phelps, 48, in Anchorage's Spenard neighborhood in 2017. He worked in construction and kitchens, said Marcy, a paralegal. 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.. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Days later, on Oct. 2, police officers found human remains on the side of a highway. Smith is charged with first-degree murder. Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. [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. 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. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. Warming water may be to blame. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The SD card was labeled Homicide at midtown Marriott, according to the affidavit. The group met to decide how they would divvy up the money. In 2016, some 34 people were killed by homicide in Anchorage. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. After troopers arrived, Doubek was given first aid and taken to a hospital. (Erik Hill / Alaska Dispatch News). 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. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll told reporters Abouchuk's family reported her missing in February, but he said she had. 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.. I don't believe it.". Man accused of killing 23-year-old daughter in Anchorage charged with Police are careful not to blame victims of violent crimes. On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Smith onmurder and evidence tampering charges in Abouchuk's death. 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. 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. In the Lower 48, gangs are more organized and act as outside-the-law businesses, pushing drugs and weapons in defined territories. Anchorage police say 8-month-old baby found safe; father arrested on Months before the alleged hit . 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. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The race is on: What to know about the 2023 Iditarod, No injuries in downtown Anchorage commercial building collapse. A corrections officer told the court Doubek was on suicide protocols and unable to participate. Police said they will release the name of the deceased woman once her identity is confirmed and family is notified. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen). Little is known about Smith, the man charged. Thursday evening Live Doppler 13 forecast - Feb. 9, 2023. 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. On Sept. 30, someone called Anchorage police claiming to have found an SD card containing video of a homicide. "I'd say a great number of our citizens don't engage in any activity that's considered dangerous.". Videos and photos show brutal attack of woman in Anchorage hotel room Murder of Eklutna Annie - Wikipedia Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. APD asked morning commuters to avoid the area. ", "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.