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. (Scott Jensen / Alaska Dispatch News). 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 . Human remains found along Seward Highway near Rainbow trailhead. Shannon Duke. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. The images showed a naked woman being beaten on the floor of a hotel room, according to the affidavit. She disappeared without a trace. (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 . or redistributed. 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. 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. 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. 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. Detectives arrested Smith at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to APD. And they say despite the number of killings, suspects are at large in very few of the cases. 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. "We haven't found evidence that anyone other than Ritchie is involved.". 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Market data provided by Factset. More than three dozenimages and 12 videos were stored on the card, according to the charging documents. 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. 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. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). 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. Gardner was shot four times, according to the charging documents. Kristy Manzanares had been travelling with a large group, including her children, according to witnesses. Here, "it's more groups of people who know each other and engage in high-risk behavior together," he said. Of the 34 victims, 14 were under the age of 25. Months before the alleged hit . ", Autumn Smith. Doubek and Gardner shared a home in a Wasilla neighborhood off of Snowshoe Lane. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teacher's aide. 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. Published: Jul. She has not been identified. Police have only definitively named him as the gunman in one killing, that of Treyveon Thompson on July 29. MacDonald wrote that in addition to the Mountain Village case, hes overseeing two other homicide trials and a sexual assault case that have all been significantly delayed due to a public defender withdrawing late into the case.. The Anchorage Police Department has identified the victim as Kathleen J. Henry, 30, according to a statement released Thursday afternoon. The FBI is testing his DNA in a nationwide database that may reveal if he is linked to any crimes in other states, McKinnon said. According to the charges, his mother called to report the attack and Walters fired a shotgun when two Village Police Officers attempted to approach him. During the initial 911 call, Doubek reportedly had slurred, garbled speech and admitted to shooting his wife, according to the affidavit. In 2004 a 40-year-old lady named Merrian was taking a cruise to Alaska on board the Celebrity Mercury. CLICK TO VISIT THE ALL-NEW FOXBUSINESS.COM. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he said. 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! 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. 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. 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. Hoffman was allegedly best friends with Brehmer, and she was chosen by the group as the victim, the documents say. Police had found Henrys remains on the side of a highway on Oct. 2. 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. I'll stand behind him, beside him, while he's going through this," Bissland added. Hoffman, 19, died from a gunshot wound to the. she said. Just two years ago, in 2014, Anchorage ended the year with 13 homicides on the books the lowest in two decades. The FBI is investigating the death because it occurred in US waters. It appeared that Smith recorded them himself, according to the affidavit. Gardner slept upstairs. Anchorage police identified thesecond victim as Veronica Abouchuk. 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. ' said APD communications director MJ Thim. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. An autopsy report concluded that she had been killed by a single stab wound to the back. 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. On the whole they are to be commended for all they do in the face of serious institutional limits, he wrote. (In addition to the 75 criminal attorneys, about 25 more work on appeals and childrens cases.) 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. The same year, Ritchie was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, an honor society for two-year colleges, and graduated from Blue Mountain Community College with an associate degree in science, according to his diploma. Gardner was a beloved community member, devoted mother and a part-owner of Hilltop Recycling, a long-standing staple of the Chugiak area, according to her family. 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". 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. 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. The callertold police the memory card was found layingin the middle of the street in the Fairview neighborhood of Anchorage. With the SD card, one of the first questions that detectives had to answer was, Was this staged, or did this really happen? Together, the homicides pose a question for Anchorage: What made 2016 so deadly? McIntosh was arrested, but Brehmer denied any involvement in the death. Her body was found along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage on Oct. 2. 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 solved an Alaskan murder with a memory card found along road. On Wednesday,. 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. In September 2020, a revised facial reconstruction of the victim was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. He isnow charged with murder. 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. "Loose lips sink ships," Markiewicz said. Police point at recent hiring of new officers as an effort to make the city safer. 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. Legal Statement. [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]. 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. Eklutna Annie is the name given to an unidentified murder victim whose body was discovered in a wooded area, one mile south of South Eklutna Lake Road in Eklutna, Anchorage, Alaska, in July 1980. Its just really incredibly disheartening, Pearson said. And so somebody who might have been using emotional abuse and threats and that sort of thing may escalate into more physical violence, Pearson said. Doubek slept downstairs. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. Brian . McKinnon pointed out that in the same year Anchorage set a homicide record, it also set a record for thenumber of touristsvisiting the city. The victim has. 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. 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. Reporter Jeff Parrott contributed to this story. Police said the body was found near milepost 108 of Seward Highway on Oct. 2. has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, and was taken to Anchorage Jail. Man arrested for murder after SD card with video of crime found on street. 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. She said he never exhibited any violent tendencies such as those she heard of from police. In that case, her father was charged with the killing. 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. All rights reserved. CALIFORNIA MAN SENTENCED AFTER FORMER ROOMMATE FOUND DEAD, BLUDGEONED INSIDE WALL. The race is on: What to know about the 2023 Iditarod, No injuries in downtown Anchorage commercial building collapse. High winds cause damage, power outages across central Indiana . Detectives saythey have a "good understanding" of what happened and who was involved in each of those cases. Last week, 23-year-old Darla Velador of Anchorage was stabbed to death. Brian Steven Smith during his arraignment Wednesday. A millionaire widower and her teenaged daughter take a fivestar cruise together. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The card was also labeled homicide at midtown Mariott. Igou pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020 to the September 10, 2017 murder of Aurora Paint Company co-owner Gregory Gill. 32. The videos show a woman being strangled and in one Smith can be heard saying just die. The videosshow Henry face down in the back of a truck. 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. She is the only victim of Robert Hansen to remain unidentified. They were all going to spend Christmas together the next day. She said she was not a police officer in the village at the time of the killing.