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. According to Hansen, Eklutna Annie had been wearing blue jeans, a sweater, and a brown leather jacket. 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.". The . Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. [sic] A manwith some sort of English accent can be heard in the video as well. All rights reserved. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. 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. Public records show that he lives in a home in the Geneva Woods neighborhood, and a social media profile that appears to belong to him says he married an Anchorage woman in 2014. ' said APD communications director MJ Thim. While the agencys inflation-adjusted spending has doubled in the past 30 years, its felony caseload has tripled, it says. So far, nothing has been found. The need for nine more lawyers was based on a 45-year-old standard set by the American Bar Association that public defenders annual caseloads should not exceed 150 felonies. I'll stand behind him, beside him, while he's going through this," Bissland added. Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity on a social network account to deceive a specific victim. Legal Statement. Jorge Rea-Villa, a handsome tattoo artist who went to a Fourth of July barbecue and ended up dead. 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. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he said. 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. 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. Hoffman, 19, died from a gunshot wound to the. Thursday evening Live Doppler 13 forecast - Feb. 9, 2023. 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. When a composite sketch of the man suspected in the death of TreyveonThompson was released, more than 190 people called in tips, McKinnon said. We still dont know who she is and we dont know much about her," said Thim. Mar 6th 600p DARLA Recently retired newly weds embark on their third tropical cruise in less than year. Skidmore said the number of prosecutors is rebounding following a reduction years earlier and now includes more than 120 attorneys. Reporter Jeff Parrott contributed to this story. He warned Metzger against scurrying around in district court, spending time on lesser felony cases instead of the homicide case, according to her motion. But they are working to build a case meeting the evidence threshold that would allow for prosecution, Markiewicz said. 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. He also allegedly told authorities that he and Brehmer discussed killing another person, but the plan was abandoned, and he admitted to blackmailing Brehmer into raping people. The millionaire's only demand for the payout was either . "She championed any child. Doubek slept downstairs. Brian Smith . 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. 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. This story was produced as part of a collaboration between Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News. What science tells us about the afterlife. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Doubek did not attend his scheduled arraignment Thursday. has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, and was taken to Anchorage Jail. According to online court records, no new trial date has been set in the killing of Gertrude Queenie. The Department of Law asked that Smith'sbond be set at $2 million. shut down anelementary school and a middle school, don't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause, mother accused of suffocating her infant daughter, killed in a downtown shootout with police, Here are the most-read Alaska Dispatch News stories of 2016. 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 . APD asked morning commuters to avoid the area. 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. Copyright 2021 KTUU. Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. Police have not identified the victim, who is said to have been killed during the first week of September. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. 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. 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. 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. Brehmer and McIntosh used Leylands pickup on June 2 to take Hoffman on a hike at Thunderbird Falls, a popular location about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Anchorage. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. die.". The woman, who has not yet been identified, is described as having long dark hair and possibly being Alaska Native. (Erik Hill / Alaska Dispatch News). All rights reserved. The images showed a naked woman being beaten on the floor of a hotel room, according to the affidavit. Police continued to investigate and interviewed her two days later after Snapchat video appeared, in which she appeared to confess, the documents say. 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. When is Eurovision and how do you get tickets? MacDonald serves as the presiding judge for the Fairbanks-based Fourth Judicial District. Alaska Public Media 2022. (Bill Roth / ADN). As Merritt approachedAndrew Robertson-Goughnor, police said, Robertson-Goughnor shot him. 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. 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. Among those charged is Darin Schilmiller, whom authorities say presented himself as the millionaire Tyler from Kansas, using a fake photograph. With the SD card, one of the first questions that detectives had to answer was, Was this staged, or did this really happen? I don't believe it.". Anchorage police identified thesecond victim as Veronica Abouchuk. 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. The next year,that number nearly doubled, to 25. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. [1], Last edited on 18 February 2023, at 21:52, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, "Eklutna Annie: Put The Focus Back on Me! 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. (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 . 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 card was also labeled homicide at midtown Mariott. Many of the victims were young. According to a press release from the Alaska Department of Law, Charlie was sentenced to 75 years . Little is known about Smith, the man charged. Smith is originally from South Africa. In at least two cases, a person believed to be breaking into a home was killed in what prosecutors determinedto be self-defense, and no charges were filed.The deaths ofLoren Douglas, 30, andAllen Raymond, 19, are still considered homicides by APD. An autopsy report concluded that she had been killed by a single stab wound to the back. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. An ongoing Daily News and ProPublica investigation has found that one in three Alaska communities has no local law enforcement of any kind. "That's what's been fascinating.". 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. 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. But its workload is growing more quickly just between the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years, it saw a 16 percent increase in felony cases statewide, according to data the agency has presented to the Legislature. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It took 26 days after Merrian's disappearance for her to be reported as a missing person and for the search for her to start. 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. 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. (Obituary photo). Thim declined to say anything about the other investigation, or whether Smith is a suspect in other crimes. Witnesses say that the incident was described by crew members as "a domestic disturbance". 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 . Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. Alaskas public defenders have argued for the past two years that rising caseloads and tight budgets are straining their ability to fulfill their constitutional obligation to represent their clients. At 41, he was a bachelor. 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. Police detectivesdon't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause. or redistributed. ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Utah couple was celebrating their wedding anniversary aboard an Alaska cruise when the husband was found covered in blood next to his wife's lifeless body, a frenzy of . 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 SD card was labeled Homicide at midtown Marriott, according to the affidavit. Published: Jan. 27, 2022 at 4:27 PM PST. He isnow charged with murder. Do you know this baby? According to police, the arrest came. A man has been arrested in connection to the murder of a woman aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Alaska, police say, in what has been described as a "domestic disturbance". On Christmas Day, the people who loved Lucas Moren gathered in the alley behind the Gaslight. An economic thing happening? He worked in construction and kitchens, said Marcy, a paralegal. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. APD provided a recent photograph of Ritchie. "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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "[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". She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. It was first broadcast on May 9th, 2021. He told Anchorage District Court Judge Brian Clark that he had about $2,000 in total saved. A man has been arrested in connection to the murder of a woman aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Alaska, police say, in what has been described as a "domestic disturbance". Alaska Public Media 2022. 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. On the whole they are to be commended for all they do in the face of serious institutional limits, he wrote. 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. McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city. He always committed his murders at night, often around midnight or a short time after. 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. Anchorage Police investigate the scene where human remains we found at mile 108 of the Seward Highway near Rainbow on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. Hoffman was allegedly best friends with Brehmer, and she was chosen by the group as the victim, the documents say. He has since been released, now in the custody of authorities, and is charged with first- and second-degree murder. Feds: Eagle River nurse prescribed 4 million opiates in 5 years, contributed to two overdose deaths. 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. "That tells us other people believe it is a good place," he said. 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 . Clark asked that he be appointed a public defender and set his bail at $500,000 cash appearance bond and a $250,000 cash performance bond. 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. April 23, 2021. [8] He died in prison in August 2014. APDsays when Moren left the Gaslight Lounge later that night,he was followedby Roy Schauer, 46. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? 28, 2020 at 10:10 AM PDT. 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. 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. Police have not yet pointed to any known motive in the cases where Ritchie is identified as a suspect. 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. All rights reserved. Kristy Manzanares had been travelling with a large group, including her children, according to witnesses. He then attempted to placate her, before pulling a gun, saying: "You do exactly as I say and you won't get hurt. You're going to kill me!" Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The victim has. Here, "it's more groups of people who know each other and engage in high-risk behavior together," he said. The graphic videos show a woman being strangled and a mans voice saying justdie, the Associated Press reported. His hair was long. ANCHORAGE, Alaska A woman pleaded guilty to murder after an Indiana man allegedly offered her $9 million to "rape and murder someone in Alaska." According to the Alaska Department of Law, 22-year-old Denali Brehmer admitting to killing 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman on June 29, 2019, near Thunderbird Falls in Chugiak, Alaska. The Alaska teens are being represented by the public defenders office, which has a policy of not commenting on cases. Hansen specifically stated she was his first murder victim. 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. 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. In 2007, she had been severely injured when her fiance's son,Christopher Erin Rodgers, attacked the couple with a machete at their Palmer home. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. ", Autumn Smith. "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. The group met to decide how they would divvy up the money. State lawmakers this year held the public defenders base budget effectively flat, though they included some $1.3 million, or a roughly 5 percent boost, in separate criminal justice legislation that was expected to generate more prosecutions. 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. Armando Velador Padilla, 46, was taken into custody after the. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. 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. According to police, the arrest came after someone reported finding a digital storage device containing video of the killing. 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. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). But the same weapon found on Ritchie at the time of his death an uncommon, vintage Colt Python .357 was used to kill four other people in a two-month span: Brianna Foisy, 20, and Jason Netter Sr., 41, on the Ship Creek Trail July 3, and Bryant "Brie" De Husson, 25, and Kevin Turner, 34, at Valley of the Moon Park on Aug. 28. (In addition to the 75 criminal attorneys, about 25 more work on appeals and childrens cases.) 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. 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. IE 11 is not supported. He has not yet entered a plea. "Why life seems harder, why things seem scarier why is that? Deputy District Attorney Brittany Dunlop said the process calls for the case to be brought before a grand jury. ", "Alaska State Troopers: Unidentified Body", "Serial Killer Robert Hansen Dies in Anchorage", "Serial Killer's Victim Exhumed In Alaska: Who Is 'Horseshoe Harriet'? Doug Moody, a supervisor at the Public Defender Agency, said in a phone interview Tuesday that Cherot will be reviewing MacDonalds critique. All rights reserved. Witness memories fade, Skidmore said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Police said they will release the name of the deceased woman once her identity is confirmed and family is notified. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. 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. 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. Market data provided by Factset. 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. TODAY - Anna Kaplan 18h. It appeared that Smith recorded them himself, 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.