die.". Resources can be found by calling Alaska 211 or visiting the State of Alaskas website to find treatment options. APD asked morning commuters to avoid the area. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Hoffman was allegedly best friends with Brehmer, and she was chosen by the group as the victim, the documents say. 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. 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 . 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. I said to his mother how cool he looked like a prizefighter about to enter the arena.". The memory card found along road shows an Anchorage man assaulting and killing woman. Two days later, both Brehmer and McIntosh were interviewed. "She championed any child. 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. Police have only definitively named him as the gunman in one killing, that of Treyveon Thompson on July 29. Market data provided by Factset. Nationally, the homicide clearance rate hovers around 64 percent, according to statistics from the FBI. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. Copyright 2021 KTUU. According to police, the arrest came. 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. 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. In September 2020, a revised facial reconstruction of the victim was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. "What we're seeing is that when we ask the community for assistance, they really respond to us," he said. Around 2010, he left Alaska and spent time in Las Vegas before moving to Virginia, where his parents now live. He was returning to Anchorage, where he lives, Thim said. 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. 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. There were no immediate details aboutthe earlierinvestigation involving Smith. 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. (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 . The year's final tally surpasses even the 29 deathsthat occurred in 1995, at the time attributed by officials to gang and drug activity. Schauer shot Moren several times, police say, though they have not said why. Overwhelmingly, people were killed with guns: Gunfire was involved in all but four of the year's homicides. The woman attempted to fight back, the affidavit said. or redistributed. [3][4], Eklutna Annie was murdered by serial killer Robert Hansen, most likely in 1979. Among those charged is Darin Schilmiller, whom authorities say presented himself as the millionaire Tyler from Kansas, using a fake photograph. 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. Authorities were expected to announce charges on the case on Thursday. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Troopers arrived hours later and interviewed Walters, who admitted to beating Queenie, his 22-year-old girlfriend, with his fists and a broom handle. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, An ongoing Daily News and ProPublica investigation has found that one in three Alaska communities has no local law enforcement of any kind. Police immediately suspected John Newman's nephew, 23-year-old Kirby Anthoney. All rights reserved. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen). On that day, close to midnight, 48-year-old Charles Doubek called 911 and told dispatchers his wife had been shot, according to a version of events relayed in an affidavit by Alaska State Trooper investigator Jason Fieser. [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! 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. The woman, who has not yet been identified, is described as having long dark hair and possibly being Alaska Native. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News). 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. 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. (Scott Jensen / Alaska Dispatch News). Thim said Smith was subsequently connected to the remains discovered on the highway through hotel records and cell-phone data. A handwritten note laid on a nearby bench with the words Shes havin an affair proof is in the phone. "Why life seems harder, why things seem scarier why is that? Her family was not contacted and her items were removed from her cabin. Witness memories fade, Skidmore said. But I feel that in the air.". Market data provided by Factset. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Contact her at mtheriault@adn.com. ", "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. 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. Anchorage Police investigate the scene where human remains we found at mile 108 of the Seward Highway near Rainbow on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. When they were able to determine that this was an actual crime, then the investigation started to quickly speed up.. All rights reserved. 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. "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. He isnow charged with murder. 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. "[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". "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. "Is it a greater population? Witnesses say she was travelling with her children. In June, U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr declared a public safety emergency in the state, announcing $10.5 million in funding for village police, equipment and public safety buildings. Advocate for missing and murdered women, reflecting on the ongoing efforts to identify Eklutna Annie[18], Eklutna Annie remains unidentified. [14], In 1984, Robert Hansen admitted that he was responsible for the victim's death. But the 2016 toll also reflects one extraordinary factor:a potential serial killer apparently targeting strangers. A Wasilla woman was shot four times at home Sunday night and her husband is charged with her murder, according to Alaska State Troopers. 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. 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. McIntosh, who is being tried as an adult in the case, was the gunman, prosecutors say. 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. (Bob Hallinen / Alaska Dispatch News). [sic] A manwith some sort of English accent can be heard in the video as well. CALIFORNIA MAN SENTENCED AFTER FORMER ROOMMATE FOUND DEAD, BLUDGEONED INSIDE WALL. 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. [10], As Eklutna Annie struggled against his efforts to overpower her, she had screamed, "Don't kill me! The killings happened in nearly every corner of Anchorage: from an Eagle River apartment complex toa normally quietsouth-sidesubdivision. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Police had found Henrys remains on the side of a highway on Oct. 2. 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. 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. 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. Brian . 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. (Google). 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. Published: Jul. Hoffman, 19, died from a gunshot wound to the. Born in Montana but raised in Alaska, Duke married, raised three children and worked jobs including as a teacher's aide. Little is known about Smith, the man charged. 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.