CALIFORNIA MAN KIDNAPPED GIRL, 17, WHO WORKED WITH PALS TO NAB HIM IN THEIR OWN UNOFFICIAL OPERATION: COPS, There are 39 images and 12 videos on the card, according to a charging document filed by the Alaska Department of Law. IE 11 is not supported. 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. Thim said Smith was subsequently connected to the remains discovered on the highway through hotel records and cell-phone data. 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. 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!" Thim declined to say anything about the other investigation, or whether Smith is a suspect in other crimes. 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. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. ' said APD communications director MJ Thim. (Loren Holmes / ADN). "Is it a greater population? Just two years ago, in 2014, Anchorage ended the year with 13 homicides on the books the lowest in two decades. 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. A man charged with murder is accused of fatally stabbing his 23-year-old daughter Friday in Anchorage's Fairview neighborhood. 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. Lucas Moren himself had cleaned up the bloody scene of the machete attack on his mother. Fiesers account supports a complaint filed by prosecutors charging Doubek with the murder of his wife, 54-year-old Marjorie Gardner. He was sentenced to 498 years in prison for the murder spree. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. Resources can be found by calling Alaska 211 or visiting the State of Alaskas website to find treatment options. Legal Statement. [Here are the most-read Alaska Dispatch News stories of 2016]. 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. 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. During the initial 911 call, Doubek reportedly had slurred, garbled speech and admitted to shooting his wife, according to the affidavit. Ritchie grew up in Anchorage and was a standout athlete at East High School in the mid-1990s before involvement in drugs led to a felony record that derailed his life. I was the only one there, I did that, I killed her, he told investigators, according to the charges. With the SD card, one of the first questions that detectives had to answer was, Was this staged, or did this really happen? You're going to kill me!" All rights reserved. Smith is charged with first-degree murder. Our salaries up here used to be the draw, an attorney for the agency said. The memory card was labeled "homicide at midtown Marriott" and contained 39 images and 12 videos of an assault and murder. Brian Steven Smith is shown being arraigned on a charge of first-degree murder at the Anchorage Jail courtroom Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska. Two days later, both Brehmer and McIntosh were interviewed. 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. 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. [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. CLICK TO VISIT THE ALL-NEW FOXBUSINESS.COM. Detectives saythey have a "good understanding" of what happened and who was involved in each of those cases. "That's our plan to create a better police presence," McKinnon said. Alaska Public Media 2022. At one point, the agencys seven-attorney Bethel office was down to three, he said. 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.. She has not been identified. "[13], According to Hansen, he then drove in the direction of Eklutna Lake, with his vehicle eventually becoming stuck on a desolate road as he veered in the direction of a "muddy swamp". 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. She said she was not a police officer in the village at the time of the killing. In September 2020, a revised facial reconstruction of the victim was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 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. The department is also trying to directly ask the public for help more often. Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. die.". The majority of victims were killed by someone they knew. [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. He moved back to Alaska in the spring of 2016. Policeinvestigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting in downtown Anchorage onNovember 12, 2016. [5][3], This unidentified decedent became known as Eklutna Annie due to the location in which her body was discovered. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. More than a few cases seem to trace back to a personal slight or insult that escalated into violence, said Lt. John McKinnon, head of APD's homicide unit. "I'd say a great number of our citizens don't engage in any activity that's considered dangerous.". 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. It had 39 images and 12 videos that recorded the alleged crime. The graphic videos show a woman being strangled and a mans voice saying justdie, the Associated Press reported. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "James recognized the potential issue and has appropriate (sic) adjusted his behavior to make himself more inviting for others to seek help. Homicide detectives began combing through the 39 images and 12 videos on the card, all documenting a horrifying scene of violence against an unknown woman. Doubek slept downstairs. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen). "We haven't found evidence that anyone other than Ritchie is involved.". Police have only definitively named him as the gunman in one killing, that of Treyveon Thompson on July 29. This story was produced as part of a collaboration between Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News. I said to his mother how cool he looked like a prizefighter about to enter the arena.". According to the affidavit, the couple had separate bedrooms. Theres a new fight over Bering Sea black cod. Gardner was shot four times, according to the charging documents. Man arrested for murder after SD card with video of crime found on street. 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. What science tells us about the afterlife. Market data provided by Factset. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com. The caller told police the memory card had been found laying in the middle of the street of an Anchorage neighborhood. Slawomir Markiewicz, the Anchorage Police Department's top detective. 2023 BBC. 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. And they say despite the number of killings, suspects are at large in very few of the cases. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. Ian Bobich, 29, was found shot to death outside this Elm Street apartment building just before midnight Monday, Oct. 24, 2016, on Government Hill. If you are considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or Stop Suicide Alaska at 1-877-266-HELP. The . 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. When a composite sketch of the man suspected in the death of TreyveonThompson was released, more than 190 people called in tips, McKinnon said. They were all going to spend Christmas together the next day. [4][7][n 1], Eklutna Annie's body was markedly decomposed, indicating her death had occurred months prior. 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. Her eldest daughter Chloe was killed with her. Time stamps on the images at the hotel showed they were taken in the early hours of Sept. 4, the affidavit said. Last year, Steiner, who was then the agencys director, warned that his attorneys were at their limit and would have to start refusing to handle new cases without a $1 million boost to their $26 million budget. MacDonald declined to be interviewed, saying that Walters case is still open. 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. In a lot of ways I think it is generational," McKinnon said. 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. He always committed his murders at night, often around midnight or a short time after. Little is known about Smith, the man charged. Months before the alleged hit . The killings happened in nearly every corner of Anchorage: from an Eagle River apartment complex toa normally quietsouth-sidesubdivision. When substance misuse and mental health problems are part of the dynamic, it heightens the risk, she said. So far, nothing has been found. Each of the three men died from gunshot wounds. 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. Nearly a week prior, on Sept. 30, someone called Anchorage Policeclaiming to have "an SD card containing a video of a homicide," according to a press release from authorities. Police had found Henrys remains on the side of a highway on Oct. 2. Early on Christmas Eve, James "Lucas" Moren became Anchorage homicide victimNo. 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. All rights reserved. According to Hansen, Eklutna Annie had been wearing blue jeans, a sweater, and a brown leather jacket. 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. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares, from the US state of Utah. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Mar 6th 600p DARLA Recently retired newly weds embark on their third tropical cruise in less than year. ", "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. Copyright 2021 KTUU. 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. Another factor no one could have predicted: James Dale Ritchie, who could prove to bethe most prolific killer in AnchoragesinceJoshua Wade, though APD is not ready to call him that. Resources: If you are facing threatened or actual domestic violence, please discreetly call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or Abused Womens Aid in Crisis in Anchorage at 907-272-0100. The organization had previously released a digital reconstruction, and a clay bust of Eklutna Annie had also been created in the past. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Cynthia Hoffman. He has since been released, now in the custody of authorities, and is charged with first- and second-degree murder. The SD card was labeled Homicide at midtown Marriott, according to the affidavit. But a bail memorandum filed in the case . When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. An economic thing happening? The domestic violence-related cases range from amother accused of suffocating her infant daughter,to a man accused of fatally shootinghis son-in-law. McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll told reporters Abouchuk's family reported her missing in February, but he said she had. 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 . Other witnesses described seeing a bloody man threatening to jump off the ship. A corrections officer told the court Doubek was on suicide protocols and unable to participate. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". She had hit the wall, an acting supervisor later told the judge. 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. [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]. All rights reserved. The woman, who has not yet been identified, is described as having long dark hair and possibly being Alaska Native. Witness memories fade, Skidmore said. This is a truly horrific case that is not the norm for our community, Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll said at a news conference, the Anchorage Daily News reported . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Many questions remain unanswered Wednesday, including the identity of the woman. Days later, on Oct. 2, police officers found human remains on the side of a highway. An earlier version of the chart in this story incorrectly stated that it included fatal officer-involved shootings and justifiable homicides. Smith remained in jail on Wednesday where he is being held on an outstanding warrant. Overwhelmingly, people were killed with guns: Gunfire was involved in all but four of the year's homicides. 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. On Wednesday,. Ritchie was killed during a shootout with police officers in downtown Anchorage on November 12, 2016. Doubek and Gardner shared a home in a Wasilla neighborhood off of Snowshoe Lane. 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. Brian Steven Smith is arraigned Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019 on a charge of first-degree murder at the Anchorage Jail courtroom. 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. Anchorage police identified the second victim as Veronica Abouchuk. He had then stabbed her once in the back with a black-handled Buck knife as she lay face-down. Officers arrested Brian Steven Smith, 48, Tuesday afternoon, an Anchorage Police Department statement said. McIntosh, who is being tried as an adult in the case, was the gunman, prosecutors say. There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. "He had a leather jacket on and blue jeans, with a hoodie. 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. "That tells us other people believe it is a good place," he said. (Bob Hallinen / Alaska Dispatch News). But detectives had gotten video of the homicide days prior to finding the victims body, police said. Gardner slept upstairs. Jorge Rea-Villa, a handsome tattoo artist who went to a Fourth of July barbecue and ended up dead. Ritchie is considered the main suspect in those killings, said Markiewicz. Police do not believe Ritchie was involved with any otherunsolved slayingsin 2016. In response, he chased after her, grabbed her by the hair and tripped her to the ground. In 2004 a 40-year-old lady named Merrian was taking a cruise to Alaska on board the Celebrity Mercury. 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. 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. [10], As Eklutna Annie struggled against his efforts to overpower her, she had screamed, "Don't kill me! According to police, the arrest came. Hoffman, 19, died from a gunshot wound to the. 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. Photos apparently show the woman underneath a blanketon a hotel luggage cart near a truck and in the truck bed, per the document. Brian . In January 2013, an associate professor wrote a letter of recommendation for Ritchie, who was apparently applying for an internship. Denali Brehmer, 22, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder in the June 2019 death of Cynthia Hoffman, the Alaska Department of Law said. But APD isnot ready to close the cases. 32. LOUISIANA MAN ARRESTED IN 1989 MURDER CASE: POLICE. 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. 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. Legal Statement. According to a press release from the Alaska Department of Law, Charlie was sentenced to 75 years . 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.