During an arraignment at Anchorage Jail Court Wednesday, a judge set Smiths bail at $750,0000 cash and appointed a public defender to represent him. For many, it was the year the city's violence hit home,even if they didn't personally know any of the victims. 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. 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. "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. 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. Thursday evening Live Doppler 13 forecast - Feb. 9, 2023. Ritchie is considered the main suspect in those killings, said Markiewicz. 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. Rodgers went on to kill another man in Anchorage and shoot two others who survived before his 26-hour rampage ended. All rights reserved. "He had a leather jacket on and blue jeans, with a hoodie. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. 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. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. But APD isnot ready to close the cases. Among those charged is Darin Schilmiller, whom authorities say presented himself as the millionaire Tyler from Kansas, using a fake photograph. 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. 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. Fiesers account supports a complaint filed by prosecutors charging Doubek with the murder of his wife, 54-year-old Marjorie Gardner. Here, "it's more groups of people who know each other and engage in high-risk behavior together," he said. "Loose lips sink ships," Markiewicz said. 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. Police solved an Alaskan murder with a memory card found along road. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? The card was also labeled homicide at midtown Mariott. They are unwilling to share details of crimes in which charges have not been filed. Smith is charged with first-degree murder. 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. 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. 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. Doug Moody, a supervisor at the Public Defender Agency, said in a phone interview Tuesday that Cherot will be reviewing MacDonalds critique. It's not that clear-cut, said McKinnon. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. James Dale Ritchie - Wikipedia 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. Parents would be wise to monitor the activity of their children online.. 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. He has not yet entered a plea. 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. "No More Silence": Her Kidnapping, Sexual Assault and Murder Stunned a 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. Alaska Public Media 2022. But the 2016 toll also reflects one extraordinary factor:a potential serial killer apparently targeting strangers. 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. She was aged between 16 and 25 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered several months after her murder. Man accused of killing woman, recording it is charged in 2nd Alaska murder On Christmas Day, the people who loved Lucas Moren gathered in the alley behind the Gaslight. 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. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll told reporters Abouchuk's family reported her missing in February, but he said she had. On the whole they are to be commended for all they do in the face of serious institutional limits, he wrote. Skidmore said the number of prosecutors is rebounding following a reduction years earlier and now includes more than 120 attorneys. Smith appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge said he'd be appointed a public defender. But they are working to build a case meeting the evidence threshold that would allow for prosecution, Markiewicz said. I said to his mother how cool he looked like a prizefighter about to enter the arena.". 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. Alaska woman pleads guilty to killing 'best friend' after man catfished 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. Months before the alleged hit . In that case, her father was charged with the killing. The memory card was labeled "homicide at midtown Marriott" and contained 39 images and 12 videos of an assault and murder. 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. 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 was returning to Anchorage, where he lives, Thim said. On Wednesday,. 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. 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. Throughout 2016, Ritchie murdered upwards of five individuals in and around Anchorage, Alaska, most of whom were in parks or along bike paths. 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. In the years since, he'd helped her live with lasting injuries. You're going to kill me!" He warned Metzger against scurrying around in district court, spending time on lesser felony cases instead of the homicide case, according to her motion. Brian . 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 . 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. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Brian Steven Smith is arraigned Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019 on a charge of first-degree murder at the Anchorage Jail courtroom. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. 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. (Bob Hallinen / Alaska Dispatch News). And they say despite the number of killings, suspects are at large in very few of the cases. After Mr. Mackay and the pilot's sister, Muriel . McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city. His hair was long. During the initial 911 call, Doubek reportedly had slurred, garbled speech and admitted to shooting his wife, according to the affidavit. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, A corrections officer told the court Doubek was on suicide protocols and unable to participate. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com. data the agency has presented to the Legislature. An earlier version of the chart in this story incorrectly stated that it included fatal officer-involved shootings and justifiable homicides. We still dont know who she is and we dont know much about her," said Thim. "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. The callertold police the memory card was found layingin the middle of the street in the Fairview neighborhood of Anchorage. "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. She is the only victim of Robert Hansen to remain unidentified. They were all going to spend Christmas together the next day. All rights reserved. In a lot of ways I think it is generational," McKinnon said. In September 2020, a revised facial reconstruction of the victim was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 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. ", Autumn Smith. Alaska teens charged in 'murder for millions' slaying | AP News Cynthia Hoffman. 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. Authorities were expected to announce charges on the case on Thursday. Jorge Rea-Villa, a handsome tattoo artist who went to a Fourth of July barbecue and ended up dead. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. 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. [sic] A manwith some sort of English accent can be heard in the video as well. Theres a new fight over Bering Sea black cod. Two days later, both Brehmer and McIntosh were interviewed. The Department of Law asked that Smith'sbond be set at $2 million. Anchorage police say they've arrested a man for the murder of a woman whose body had been dumped a week ago on the Seward Highway south of Anchorage. Anchorage Police Department personnelwere investigating a fatal shooting near 15th Avenue and E Street early Sept. 13, 2016. But a bail memorandum filed in the case . Anchorage police identified the second victim as Veronica Abouchuk. All but one of the victims in those cases were female. Pilot Projects Launched to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous The victim was also wearing several pieces of jewelry, including an apparently handmade metal bracelet containing three turquoise stones,[2][8] a copper necklace containing shell beads, a pendant heart, a Timex metal wristwatch consisting of circular links and with a brown watch face, a ring carved from shell jewelry, and gold-plated, twisted metal hoop earrings. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. Some people have speculated gangs are to blame for the bloodshed. 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.. There wasSelena Mullenax, a young mother studying for her GEDfound shotin a public park on a winter morning. 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. 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. 28, 2020 at 10:10 AM PDT. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. ALASKAN MURDER: ENIGMA WITHIN AN ENIGMA - The New York Times Witnesses say she was travelling with her children. 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 man sentenced to 55 years in prison for murder of Alaska Zoo 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. APD officer Arn Salao was wounded and the suspect, James Dale Ritchie, was killed in the early-morning shootout. 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. 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. Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity on a social network account to deceive a specific victim. When is Eurovision and how do you get tickets? This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. Reporter Jeff Parrott contributed to this story. Smith remained in jail on Wednesday where he is being held on an outstanding warrant. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen). She said he never exhibited any violent tendencies such as those she heard of from police. Her eldest daughter Chloe was killed with her. He has since been released, now in the custody of authorities, and is charged with first- and second-degree murder. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. (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 . This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 21:52. / 61.1254; -149.5234. 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. 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. APDsays when Moren left the Gaslight Lounge later that night,he was followedby Roy Schauer, 46. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The FBI is investigating the death because it occurred in US waters. Time stamps on the images at the hotel showed they were taken in the early hours of Sept. 4, the affidavit said. 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. "That's our plan to create a better police presence," McKinnon said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Advocate for missing and murdered women, reflecting on the ongoing efforts to identify Eklutna Annie[18], Eklutna Annie remains unidentified. Shannon Duke. Legal Statement. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". Other witnesses described seeing a bloody man threatening to jump off the ship. 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. Thim declined to say anything about the other investigation, or whether Smith is a suspect in other crimes. While the agencys inflation-adjusted spending has doubled in the past 30 years, its felony caseload has tripled, it says. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2023 BBC. At 41, he was a bachelor. An ongoing Daily News and ProPublica investigation has found that one in three Alaska communities has no local law enforcement of any kind. The caller told police the memory card had been found laying in the middle of the street of an Anchorage neighborhood. Gardner slept upstairs. Police Say A Teen Killed Her Friend After A Catfish Promised Her $9 Brehmer agreed to commit the murder for him.. Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, the womans body was found along Turnagain Arm, near the Rainbow trailhead. (Obituary photo). But detectives had gotten video of the homicide days prior to finding the victims body, police said. Many questions remain unanswered Wednesday, including the identity of the woman. Around 2010, he left Alaska and spent time in Las Vegas before moving to Virginia, where his parents now live. The next year,that number nearly doubled, to 25. Troopers: Wasilla woman killed, husband charged with her murder, 2023 Iditarod pre-race coverage and Ceremonial Start, Melissa Fry has the forecast for the Iditarod restart in Willow, Animal rights group PETA continues targeting Iditarod sponsors. ' said APD communications director MJ Thim. Market data provided by Factset. 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. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. Human remains found along Seward Highway near Rainbow trailhead. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. What science tells us about the afterlife. After the death, the ship was diverted to the city of Juneau, in Alaska, and passengers were forced by investigators to remain on board for more than eight hours. Armando Velador Padilla, 46, was taken into custody after the. In the Lower 48, gangs are more organized and act as outside-the-law businesses, pushing drugs and weapons in defined territories. In 2004 a 40-year-old lady named Merrian was taking a cruise to Alaska on board the Celebrity Mercury. The REAL Deaths Behind The Show (Episode Guide) - Emma Cruises He told Anchorage District Court Judge Brian Clark that he had about $2,000 in total saved. [10], As Eklutna Annie struggled against his efforts to overpower her, she had screamed, "Don't kill me! For all the good the internet can do, it can be a very dark place, Bryan Schroder, the U.S. attorney in Alaska, said at a news conference Tuesday. CLICK TO VISIT THE ALL-NEW FOXBUSINESS.COM. 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. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Seven Cold Case Task Force offices across the nation, dedicated to solving cold cases involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives, are opening in the next few weeks, one expected to open in Anchorage. 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 . But I feel that in the air.". Mar 6th 600p DARLA Recently retired newly weds embark on their third tropical cruise in less than year. [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. A memorial for James Lucas Moren in an alley behind the Gaslight Bar on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. 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! [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]. When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. 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.