Category Archives: Episode

The Demise of Soapy Smith

Episode, , , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:04 — 21.2MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

Why do we romanticize historical outlaws and con artists? It is difficult to write about Wild West outlaws because the myths surrounding them bear little resemblance to the truth. Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith was one of those characters. Smith often donated money to good causes, but he earned that money by cheating and robbing people. When he relocated his criminal enterprise to Skagway, Alaska, during the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897, the citizens soon grew weary of his cons and threats. The animosity led to a confrontation and a shootout, and soon, Jefferson Smith’s life ended, and the legend of Soapy Smith began.

Sources

Charles River Editors. Soapy Smith: The Life and Legacy of the Wild West’s Most Infamous Con Artist. 2019. Independently Published.

History.com Editors. “Conman ‘Soapy Smith’ Killed in Alaska.” November 16, 2009. History.

Sauerwein, Stan. Soapy Smith: Skagway’s Scourge of the Klondike. 2005. Alberta, Canada. Altitude Publishing Canada, Ltd.

Smith, Jeff, Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel, 2009, Juneau, Alaska. Klondike Research.

Spude, Katherine Holder. “The Fiend in Hell.” Soapy Smith in Legend. 2024. Norman, Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma Press.

_______________

Wishing You a Healthy, Wealthy, Wonderful 2026!

___________

For More Stories of Murder and Mystery

___________________

___________________

Join the Last Frontier Club’s Free Tier

______

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join her on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out her books at Amazon

Send me an email: robinbarefield76@gmail.com

___________________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month, Robin will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier is available only for club members.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Merchandise! Visit the Store

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FTA: The Alaska Triangle

Episode, , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:59 — 24.8MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

First named in 1972, the Alaska Triangle stretches from Anchorage in southcentral Alaska to Juneau in the southeast panhandle to Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) on Alaska’s northern coast. Since 1988, more than 16,000 people have vanished from this area, and every year, approximately four people go missing per every 1000 Alaska residents. This rate is twice the national average.

I was surprised when I first learned how many people disappear in Alaska, but I don’t need an underground pyramid or mysterious magnetic vortices to explain the statistics. I also don’t understand the need for a triangle since people disappear throughout the state, not just in the area outlined by a geometric figure’s hypothetical lines. However, I guess a triangle conjures up the aura of the Bermuda Triangle and suggests the possibility of mysterious forces at play.

Many disappearances and other mysteries in Alaska have never been solved. Planes vanish, boats disappear, UFO sightings baffle military officers, and in one instance, the population of an entire village fled their homes to escape a giant, hairy, manlike creature. Here are a few of the stories.

Sources:

Conger, Cristen. Why has part of the Alaska wilderness been called the Bermuda Triangle? How Stuff Works.

Gough, Cody. 2019. Thousands of People Have Mysteriously Disappeared in Alaska’s Bermuda Triangle. Discovery.e

LeBlanc, Jocelyne. 2018. 10 Facts About the Little-Known Alaska Triangle. Toptenz.net.

Liefer, Gregory P. 2011. Chapter Eleven: Without a Trace. Aviation Mysteries of the North. Publication Consultants. Anchorage, AK.

Japan Airlines Flight 1628 incident. Wikipedia.

The Alaska Triangle – Disappearing Into Thin Air. Legends of America.

The Alaska Triangle – courtesy of the Locations Unknown Podcast. 2019.

Weiss, Lawrence D. 2019. Unfriendly skies: The extraordinary flight of JAL 1628. Alaska’s best known UFO encounter.

__________________

Treat the True Crime Lover on your Christmas List to Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier.

OR
For Murder Mysteries Set in the Wilderness of Kodiak Island, Check Out These Novels.

___________________

Also, All Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier Merchandise in the Store is On Sale!

___________________

Join the Last Frontier Club’s Free Tier

______

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join her on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out her books at Amazon

Send me an email: robinbarefield76@gmail.com

_______________________

Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month, Robin will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier is available only for club members.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska

________________________

Merchandise! Visit the Store 

All Merchandise On Sale!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Murder by Mail

Episode, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:29 — 27.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

At Raymond (R.D.) Cheely’s sentencing hearing for the random highway murder of Jeffrey Cain, prosecutor Steve Branchflower said that the shooting delivered a stunning message to Anchorage. “No matter who you are or where you live, or what precautions you take to protect yourselves, you cannot escape violence; you can’t hide.” Branchflower added, “Because we can no longer trust Raymond Cheely to do the right thing, we must make sure he is never again left unwatched.””

Sources

Doto, Pamela. “Fugitive nabbed. Gustafson arrested in Hollywood hotel.” April 18, 1992. Anchorage Daily News.

Enge, Marilee. “Cheely’s lawyer says evidence scant, wants dismissal.” April 9, 1992. Anchorage Daily News.

Enge, Marilee. “Death penalty urged. U.S. says law covers bombing.” May 15, 1992. Anchorage Daily News.

Enge, Marilee. “Friend, prosecutors tell different tales of Ryan.” April 22, 1992. Anchorage Daily News.

Enge, Marilee. “Letters, tapes reveal young man’s woes.” April 19, 1992. Anchorage Daily News.

Enge, Marilee, and Natalie Phillips. “No motive, no suspect yet in bombing. Officials warn people involved in highway-shooting trial to be careful of packages.” September 19, 1992. Anchorage Daily News.

Enge, Marilee. “Prosecutors air tapes at bomb hearing. Recordings include defendants’ accounts of motive, work on deadly package.” April 7, 1992. Anchorage Daily News.

“Gustafson v. State.” June 18, 1983. Touch N’ Go.

“Gustafsons.” Season 1, Episode 1. October 26, 2019. Killer Siblings.

Phillips, Natalie. “Broke, tired, hungry Gustafson “relieved” by arrest, Feds say.” April 19, 1992. Anchorage Daily News.

Phillips, Natalie. “Cheely guilty in bombing Alaskan. Could get two life terms.” March 14, 1995. Anchorage Daily News.

Phillips, Natalie. “Gustafson owns up to killing.” November 27, 1995. Anchorage Daily News.

Phillips, Natalie. “Inmates passed notes. Informants testify to Cheely actions.” February 10, 1995. Anchorage Daily News.

Phillips, Natalie. “Ryan denies plot role. Cheely friend moved explosives.” March 4, 1995. Anchorage Daily News.

Phillips, Natalie. “Sister recounts role as go-between.” February 18, 1995. Anchorage Daily News.

Phillips, Natalie. “State wants bomb suit settlement lawyers asked to detail $2.6 million agreement.” May 1, 1996. Anchorage Daily News.

Rinehart, Steve. “Mail bomb: 4 charged government says highway killers plotted death from prison  Blast that killed father intended for son: convict’s sister held: brother still at large.” April 2, 1992. Anchorage Daily News.

Toomey, Sheila. “Bomber gets life plus 30. Gustafson ineligible for parole.” May 8, 1993. Anchorage Daily News.

________________

Treat the True Crime Lover on your Christmas List to Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier.

OR
For Murder Mysteries Set in the Wilderness of Kodiak Island, Check Out These Novels.

___________________

Also, All Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier Merchandise in the Store is On Sale!

___________________

Join the Last Frontier Club’s Free Tier

______

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join her on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out her books at Amazon

Send me an email: robinbarefield76@gmail.com

_______________________

Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month, Robin will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier is available only for club members.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska

________________________

Merchandise! Visit the Store 

All Merchandise On Sale!

 

 

Easier than Divorce

Episode, , , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:24 — 22.4MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

Sitka, Alaska

We all know married couples who seem to thrive on discord. These are the people we avoid joining for dinner and the ones in whose presence we squirm as they argue, yell, and threaten. We wonder why they got married, and if they divorce, we’re certain no one else would want either one of them. Still, I’ve met couples who not only manage to survive their contentious relationships but enjoy sparring with their partners. Marriage is hard, but most of us try, at least for a while, to make a relationship work, and if it doesn’t work, we leave and go our separate ways. Jane and Scott Coville constantly fought, even before they moved to Alaska and married, but Jane did not divorce Scott; there was no need to sever ties with him because Scott conveniently disappeared. Did he grow disillusioned with Jane, marriage, and life in Alaska? Did Scott take off on his own for an adventure somewhere else, a place far away from his current responsibilities, or did something much more sinister happen to Scott Coville?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

James Pietragallo & Jimmie Whisman. 11-22-2017. Small Town Murder Podcast #45. The Hottest Cold Case Around in Sitka, Alaska. https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/small-town-murder/e/52324451?autoplay=true

Scott Michael Coville. The Charley Project. http://charleyproject.org/case/scott-michael-coville

Grove, Casey. May 31, 2016. Mother in cold case describes years wondering about her son. Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/mother-cold-case-describes-years-wondering-about-her-son/2010/11/28/

Jane Reth. Murderpedia. https://murderpedia.org/female.R/r/reth-jane.htm

Sitka, Alaska. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitka,_Alaska

_______

Take a trip to Shuyak Island
_______________________

Join the Readers and Writers Book Club from November 18-25 and Explore the Aurora!

A Facebook Event

______________

___________________

Join the Last Frontier Club’s Free Tier

______

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join her on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out her books at Amazon

Send me an email: robinbarefield76@gmail.com

_______________________

Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month, Robin will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier is available only for club members.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska

________________________

Merchandise! Visit the Store

 

 

 

 

______________________________________________________

Murder in the Bering Sea

Episode, , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:01 — 20.2MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

On March 22, 1990, the Aleutian Enterprise, a one-hundred-and-forty-three-foot factory trawler, rolled over and sank in the Bering Sea. Nine crew members died, and twenty-two others barely escaped. The incident happened because the owners and managers of Arctic Alaska Seafood put profits above safety and the crew’s lives on their processing ships. Their actions – or inactions – were nothing short of murder.

________________

Take a trip to Shuyak Island
_______________________

Join the Readers and Writers Book Club from November 18-25 and Explore the Aurora!

A Face book Event

______________

___________________

Join the Last Frontier Club’s Free Tier

______

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join her on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out her books at Amazon

Send me an email: robinbarefield76@gmail.com

_______________________

Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month, Robin will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier is available only for club members.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska

________________________

Merchandise! Visit the Store

 

 

 

 

FTA: Murder on Shuyak Island

Episode, , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:02 — 21.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

Continue reading FTA: Murder on Shuyak Island →

The Deadly Dyatlov Pass Mystery

Episode, , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:41 — 31.8MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

On January 23, 1959, ten hikers embarked on a wilderness hiking/skiing expedition into the Ural Mountains in the Eastern Soviet Union. Most of the hikers were students at Sverdlovsk’s Ural Polytechnic Institute (UPI). One of the hikers began to feel ill and left the group early, but when the remaining nine hikers did not return to the Institute by February 20, searchers began looking for them. Their horrific discovery persists as one of the great mysteries of the northern wilderness.

___________

For More Stories of Murder and Mystery

___________________

___________________

Join the Last Frontier Club’s Free Tier

______

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join her on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out her books at Amazon

Send me an email: robinbarefield76@gmail.com

___________________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month, Robin will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier is available only for club members.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Merchandise! Visit the Store

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Abduction of Mandy Lemaire

Episode, , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:06 — 20.3MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

A family moved to a small Alaska village because the parents believed it would be a safe environment where they could raise their children. Then, the unthinkable happened. Eleven-year-old Mandy Lemaire only had to walk a short distance to her girlfriend’s house, but when she didn’t arrive, the entire village began searching for her.

___________________

___________________

___________________

Join the Last Frontier Club’s Free Tier

______

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join her on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out her books at Amazon

Send me an email: robinbarefield76@gmail.com

___________________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month, Robin will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier is available only for club members.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Merchandise! Visit the Store

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alaska’s Ghost Ships

Episode, , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:30 — 21.6MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

A ghost ship is an adrift vessel with no living passengers or crew aboard. Sometimes, we know why the ship was abandoned or what tragedy occurred to the passengers and crew, but other times, we are left to guess what happened aboard the vessel during the last few hours and minutes when the crew inexplicably abandoned the ship or died aboard it. Alaska has many ghostship tales. Here are three of them.

Clara Nevada

Sources

Levi, Steven. The Clara Nevada; Gold, Greed, Murder and Alaska’s Inside Passage. 2011. History Press.

De Abreu, Kristine. “The SS Baychimo, 38 years as a ghost ship.” March 28, 2023. Exploration Mysteries.

Reamer, David. “The mysterious fate of the Baychimo, the ghost ship that haunted the Arctic for decades.” October 29, 2023. Anchorage Daily News.

Snoderly, Joan. “Family searches for memories of a father lost at sea.” August 31, 2017. Kodiak Daily Mirror.

Sullivan, Toby. “The Tragedy of the John and Olaf.” January 14, 2016. Kodiak Maritime Museum.

John and Olaf

_______________

Is a Serial Killer Stalking Women on Kodiak Island?

 

___________________

Join the Last Frontier Club’s Free Tier

______

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join her on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out her books at Amazon

Send me an email: robinbarefield76@gmail.com

___________________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month, Robin will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier is available only for club members.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Merchandise! Visit the Store

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FTA: Guilty but Mentally Ill

Episode, , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:26 — 19.7MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

It took a horrible murder for Alaska to revise its statutes for the criminally insane from some of the most lenient sentencing laws in the country to the strictest laws in the U.S. for the insanity defense.

On the night of May 3, 1982, one veteran Anchorage police officer was quoted as saying, “This has got to be one of the grisliest nights I’ve ever seen.” Within an hour, seven people lost their lives. Three died in the Black Bull bar in the Muldoon section of Anchorage, and the other four were shot in Russian Jack Springs Park in East Anchorage. At first, investigators wondered if the two crime scenes were connected, but they soon learned nothing linked the two horrific events.

Sources

Ice Cold Killers Season Two, Episode One: Blood Red Sun.

 Brennan, Tom. 2001. By Reason of Insanity. Murder at 40 Below. Epicenter Press.

 Murderpedia, Charles L. Meach III.

New York Times (1982), New Law on Insanity Plea Stirs Dispute in Alaska.

____________

 

IF YOU ENJOY LISTENING TO YOUR NOVELS, CHECK OUT THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION OF

MASSACRE AT BEAR CREEK LODGE

________________________________

 

___________________

Join the Last Frontier Club’s Free Tier

______

Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.

Robin invites you to join her at her website: https://robinbarefield.com, and while you are there, sign up for her free monthly newsletter about true crime in Alaska. Robin also narrates a podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. You can find it at: https://murder-in-the-last-frontier.blubrry.net

Subscribe to Robin’s free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska.
Join her on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out her books at Amazon

Send me an email: robinbarefield76@gmail.com

___________________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month, Robin will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier is available only for club members.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness.
· Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Merchandise! Visit the Store