die.". 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. 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. 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. 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. ", "Alaska State Troopers: Unidentified Body", "Serial Killer Robert Hansen Dies in Anchorage", "Serial Killer's Victim Exhumed In Alaska: Who Is 'Horseshoe Harriet'? McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city. This week, Brian Smith, 48, was charged with first-degree murder in the case, the Anchorage Police Department said in a Wednesday statement. Here, "it's more groups of people who know each other and engage in high-risk behavior together," he said. An earlier version of the chart in this story incorrectly stated that it included fatal officer-involved shootings and justifiable homicides. 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. His hair was long. Brian Steven Smith during his arraignment Wednesday. 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. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The State Medical Examiner Office is working to confirm her identity and manner of death. Judges appoint public defenders for defendants who cant afford to hire their own lawyers. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster gave invocation at Kenai Assembly meeting, Even more cruise ships are coming to Alaska in 2020. The FBI is investigating the death because it occurred in US waters. 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. But there are plenty of public defender offices in the Lower 48 who are offering those exact salaries right now with lower cost of living and more stability in their government and their budget., The public defender agency asked that MacDonald be disqualified from the Mountain Village case because of his bias against the agency and Walters, the defendant. she said. According to court documents, Denali Brehmer, 18, confessed to killing Cynthia Hoffman on June 2 at the . Thim said Smith was subsequently connected to the remains discovered on the highway through hotel records and cell-phone data. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teachers aide. 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. "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. 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 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. [sic] A manwith some sort of English accent can be heard in the video as well. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. He moved back to Alaska in the spring of 2016. [7] He further recollected: "I picked her up downtown and told her I was going to take her to my home". Paula Zorawski,answered her front dooronly to be shot in the face by people, Anchorage police believe, were hoping to rob her son of marijuana. The Emerald Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, had departed from Seattle on Sunday for a week-long trip. 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. Doubek did not attend his scheduled arraignment Thursday. Police do not believe Ritchie was involved with any otherunsolved slayingsin 2016. 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. All the white people are getting done first while the Natives get pushed to the back burner, Bill wrote in a Facebook message, when asked about the case. 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. TODAY - Anna Kaplan 18h. 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. All rights reserved. According to court documents and evidence presented . (The motion argued that the judge misunderstood the limits on public defenders, who do not choose which charges are filed.). Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. 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. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Content Warning: This article contains information that might be difficult for some readers. Alaska Public Media 2022. [3][4], Eklutna Annie was murdered by serial killer Robert Hansen, most likely in 1979. In response, he chased after her, grabbed her by the hair and tripped her to the ground. At one June hearing, shortly before she resigned, the public defender noted she was working a double case load. If you or someone you know is struggling with a substance use disorder, help is available. 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. 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. [8] He died in prison in August 2014. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. We learned sometimes the hard way in the past.". Smith is originally from South Africa. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? There wasSelena Mullenax, a young mother studying for her GEDfound shotin a public park on a winter morning. MacDonald declined to be interviewed, saying that Walters case is still open. 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. This years Iditarod field is the smallest in history. 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. But the 2016 toll also reflects one extraordinary factor:a potential serial killer apparently targeting strangers. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. While the agencys inflation-adjusted spending has doubled in the past 30 years, its felony caseload has tripled, it says. The killings happened in nearly every corner of Anchorage: from an Eagle River apartment complex toa normally quietsouth-sidesubdivision. 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. I said to his mother how cool he looked like a prizefighter about to enter the arena.". 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. Human remains found along Seward Highway near Rainbow trailhead. Brian . Detectives recognized Brian Steven Smith from the graphic videos because Smith is involved in a separate ongoing investigation, said Anchorage Police Department spokesman MJ Thim. Anchorage police identified thesecond victim as Veronica Abouchuk. Could a bigger prize and more races boost interest? "He had a leather jacket on and blue jeans, with a hoodie. data the agency has presented to the Legislature. [5][3], This unidentified decedent became known as Eklutna Annie due to the location in which her body was discovered. Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity on a social network account to deceive a specific victim. Advocate for missing and murdered women, reflecting on the ongoing efforts to identify Eklutna Annie[18], Eklutna Annie remains unidentified. "In the fog and the white light, I saw him walking down the alley," Marcy said. They are unwilling to share details of crimes in which charges have not been filed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. But he added that those specific failures were symptoms of broader dysfunction, like public defender and prosecutor jobs going unfilled because of obstacles to recruitment and retention, as well as travel restrictions. On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Smith onmurder and evidence tampering charges in Abouchuk's death. All rights reserved. In 2004 a 40-year-old lady named Merrian was taking a cruise to Alaska on board the Celebrity Mercury. Two days later, both Brehmer and McIntosh were interviewed. McIntosh, who is being tried as an adult in the case, was the gunman, prosecutors say. He then attempted to placate her, before pulling a gun, saying: "You do exactly as I say and you won't get hurt. McIntosh was arrested, but Brehmer denied any involvement in the death. The Anchorage office is expected to open on August 27. In the Lower 48, gangs are more organized and act as outside-the-law businesses, pushing drugs and weapons in defined territories. 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. That puts APD at a more than 90 percent "clearance" rate for homicide cases. 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. Federal authorities allege Brehmer produced sexually explicit videos involving a minor and sent them to Schilmiller. Hoffman, 19, died from a gunshot wound to the. In some villages, city and tribal leaders say they have no choice but to hire convicted criminals as cops. Theres a new fight over Bering Sea black cod. According to the bail memo, Alaska State Troopers earlier this year recovered a skull with a gunshot wound in an area near the location Smith later provided. The race is on: What to know about the 2023 Iditarod, No injuries in downtown Anchorage commercial building collapse. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. So far, nothing has been found. The woman attempted to fight back, the affidavit said. On Sept. 30, police received a report from someone saying they had found an SD card containing several videos of an assault and murder. The victim has. I'll stand behind him, beside him, while he's going through this," Bissland added. 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. At the sentencing hearing, the State presented video . Police have not yet pointed to any known motive in the cases where Ritchie is identified as a suspect. Alaska emergency officials issued an AMBER Alert for 8-month-old boy Ahmiri Chaney on Feb. 17, 2023. . 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. 2023 BBC. But a bail memorandum filed in the case . Early on Christmas Eve, James "Lucas" Moren became Anchorage homicide victimNo. 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 trial has been delayed at least 15 times at the request of the defense, according to MacDonalds order. Other images showed the woman covered in a white sheet, being moved through a parking lot to a truck. The case marks the second killing in less than six months involving a video. Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. Fiesers account supports a complaint filed by prosecutors charging Doubek with the murder of his wife, 54-year-old Marjorie Gardner. 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. Sarah Palin in 2007, admonished public defenders for specific professional failures in their handling of Walters case. Read about our approach to external linking. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In the years since, he'd helped her live with lasting injuries. Putting names to archive photos, China looks at reforms to deepen Xi's control, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, In photos: India's disappearing single-screen cinemas. He was sentenced to 498 years in prison for the murder spree. 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. [14], In 1984, Robert Hansen admitted that he was responsible for the victim's death. (Obituary photo). "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. 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. Gov. When is Eurovision and how do you get tickets? 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Police detectivesdon't attribute 2016's increase in homicides to any one cause. 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. I was the only one there, I did that, I killed her, he told investigators, according to the charges. The organization had previously released a digital reconstruction, and a clay bust of Eklutna Annie had also been created in the past. The group met to decide how they would divvy up the money. "[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". He worked in construction and kitchens, said Marcy, a paralegal. ", "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. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. 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. 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.". 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. On Wednesday,. 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. 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 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.
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