Miranda Barbour, Serial Killer or Pathological Liar?

June 28, 2021EpisodeCraig's List Killing, Elytte Barbour, Miranda Barbour, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Murder in Alaska, Robin Barefield, True Crime, True Crime in Alaskamurder-in-the-last-frontier

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In December 2013, after police arrested Miranda Barbour, 19, for the murder of Troy LaFerrara in Pennsylvania, Miranda told a news reporter she had murdered between 22 and 100 people. She said she killed a few in North Carolina, Texas, and California, but she claimed most of the murders occurred in her home state of Alaska. Her statement startled law enforcement officials across the country, but they soon began to question her declarations. Was her claim of serial murders real, a cry for attention, or was she attempting to lay the foundation for an insanity defense? After the brutal killing of LaFerrara, though, few investigators doubted Miranda could have killed before, and most believed if she hadn’t been stopped, she would have killed again. What should we think, then? Is Miranda Barbour a serial murderer, a pathological liar, or both?

Sources:

BBC Miranda Barbour, Serial Killer or Liar https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6w80lb

Miranda Barbour. Murderpedia https://murderpedia.org/female.B/b/barbour-miranda.htm

Wenner, David.2-21-2014. North Carolina town copes with connection to couple accused of Craigslist killing. Penn Live Patriot News https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2014/02/miranda_barbour_craigslist_sat.html

Lysiak, Matthew. 4-28-14. Exclusive: Craigslist Killer Miranda Barbour Tells How and Why She Killed. Newsweek Magazine. https://www.newsweek.com/2014/05/09/exclusive-craigslist-killer-miranda-barbour-tells-how-and-why-she-killed-248670.html

Scarcella, Francis. 12-7-2013. Pal: Newlyweds Sat, Watched Investigators Comb Murder Scene. The Daily Item. https://www.dailyitem.com/news/pal-newlyweds-sat-watched-investigators-comb-murder-scene/article_751c6fcb-9a43-5be0-a64e-2090305ef9e0.html

Burke, Jill.3-16-2014/ Accused Craigslist killer Miranda Barbour had traumatic start to life. Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/crime-justice/article/accused-craigslist-killer-miranda-barbour-had-traumatic-start-life/2014/03/17/

Associated Press. 9-18-2014. ‘Craigslist Killers’ Miranda and Elytte Barbour Sentenced to Life in Prison. People.com https://people.com/crime/craigslisit-killers-miranda-and-elytte-barbour-sentenced-to-life-in-prison/

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The Wreck of the SS Princess Sophia – The Unknown Titanic of the West Coast

June 14, 2021EpisodeAlaska, Alaska Gold Rush, Canadian Shipwrecks, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Princess Sophia, Robin Barefield, Shipwrecks in Alaskamurder-in-the-last-frontier

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The deadliest marine disaster on the west coast of North America occurred in Lynn Canal on October 24, 1918, but few people have ever heard of it. Approximately 345 people died when the SS Princess Sophia slid off Vanderbilt Reef and sank. Did the captain’s recklessness cause the disaster, and did his poor decision-making doom the passengers and crew of the Princess Sophia?

Sources:

SS Princess Sophia Expedition. Available at: http://www.princesssophia.org/history

Sullivan, Toby. 12/12/2018. The Sinking of the Princess Sophia. Kodiak Daily Mirror

Princess Sophia. Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Princess_Sophia

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Robin Barefield is the author of four Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, and Karluk Bones. Sign up to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska.

Murder on the banks of the Yukon

May 21, 2021EpisodeAgnes Wright, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Murder in Alaska, Robin Barefield, Ruby Alaska, True Crime, Yukon Rivermurder-in-the-last-frontier

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When someone brutally murdered the postmistress of Ruby, Alaska, a small village on the Yukon River, the Alaska State Troopers believed they had a ‘locked-room” mystery on their hands. They suspected one of the villagers of killing Agnes Wright. After all, there are only two ways into and out of Ruby: either by boat on the Yukon River or by air travel on a small bush plane. Neither method of transportation is inconspicuous to or from a village where everyone knows everyone else, and a stranger’s presence warrants stares and whispers. Since the troopers heard no credible accounts of a stranger in town on the day of the murder, they began with the premise that one of the villagers committed the crime. But who in this small village hated Agnes Wright enough to beat her savagely and then shoot her?

Sources:

1996 Postmaster. Behind the Badge. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Smithsonian U.S. Postal Museum. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/behind-the-badge-case-histories-assaults-and-murders/1996-postmaster

Murphy, Kim. 8-2-1996. Murder in a Town Full of Suspects. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-08-02-mn-30531-story.html

More Details Emerge in Killing of Postmaster. 7-19-1996. Daily Sitka Senitinel. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10310101/more-details-emerge-in-killing-of/

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The Sinking of the SS Clara Nevada

April 30, 2021EpisodeAlaska Gold Rush, Gold Rush, Maritime Disasters, Murder and Mystery in Alaska, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Robin Barefield, Sinking Ship, SS Clara Nevada, Steve Levimurder-in-the-last-frontier

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Was the wreck of the Clara Nevada a terrible accident or the greatest mass-murder in Alaska history?

Superstitions swirl around boats, and some captains believe bizarre myths. Renaming a vessel remains foremost among the maritime harbingers of bad luck, and if you dare change the name of your boat, you must follow a strict protocol to avoid certain doom. The Clara Nevada did not even complete her maiden voyage under her new name. Is this boat the case study to prove the truth of the old mariner’s superstition, or did her captain plot her demise?

On February 5, 1898, the SS Clara Nevada departed Skagway, Alaska, headed for Juneau and then Seattle. Hurricane-force winds of 90 knots (100 mph 161 km/h) pummeled the vessel with following seas of twelve to fifteen feet (4-5 m) as the helmsman attempted to navigate the infamous Lynn Canal of Alaska’s Inside Passage. When the decrepit old ship reportedly struck a rock and sank, the news surprised no one. Searchers found the body of only one man, the ship’s purser, but news reports speculated no one survived such a horrific accident.

The loss of the Clara Nevada at first seemed a tragic but foreseeable accident, and no one doubted the negligence of the ship’s owners and captain. Before long, though, folks began asking questions, and the Seattle newspapers speculated wildly about the disaster. Crewmen believed to have died in the wreck turned up alive and well. Even the captain materialized and wasted little time beginning his next venture to ferry prospectors to the goldfields.

What happened on February 5, 1898, aboard the Clara Nevada? Was the wreck an accident, or did the captain and a few crewmen perpetrate the worst mass-murder in the history of Alaska?

Sources
The Clara Nevada; Gold, Greed, Murder and Alaska’s Inside Passage. Levi, Steven C. 2011. History Press. This book was my main source for this article. It covers the sinking of the Clara Nevada and the exploits of Captain C.H. Lewis in much more detail than I’ve included here. The author also describes the challenges involved in trying to research a maritime disaster in Alaska in the late 1800s. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about the Clara Nevada or get a feel for the atmosphere in both Seattle and Skagway during the Klondike gold rush.

Gold on the Clara Nevada: Cold Case Gets Hot. National Underwater and Marine Agency. Available at:

https://numa.net/2014/05/gold-on-the-clara-nevada-cold-case-gets-hot/

Eldred Rock Lighthouse, Alaska. Lighthousefriends.com. Available at: https://lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=828
Clara Nevada. Hougen Group. Available at: www.hougengroup.com/yukon-history/yukon-nuggets/clara-nevada/

The Clara Nevada’s sinking may always remain a mystery. 08-26-2012.James, David. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Available at: www.newsminer.com/the-clara-nevada-s-sinking-may-always-remain-a-mystery/article_b217c23-97Of-58cd-972d-411d91575508.html

The 2007 Hassler Expedition; The Hassler’s last days and the wreck of the Clara Nevada. National Marine Sanctuaries. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Available at: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/maritime/expeditions/hassler/last_days.html

SS Clara Nevada.Shipwrecks in Pacific Waters: 1800s. Maritime Heritage. Available at: https://www.maritimeheritage.org/ships/SS-Clara-Nevada.html

Clara Nevada. Skagway Stories. Available at: www.skagwaystories.org/2011/02/04/clara-nevada/

Haunted Inside Passage: Ghosts, Legends, and Mysteries of Southeast Alaska. Dihle, Bjorn. 2017. Alaska Northwest Books.

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Serial Killer John Joseph Fautenberry

April 12, 2021EpisodeJohn Fautenberry, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Murder in Alaska, Robin Barefield, Serial Murderermurder-in-the-last-frontier

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Would you recognize a serial killer if you rubbed elbows with him in a bar or if he struck up a conversation with you on a hiking trail? Maybe something about the person would set off alarm bells, especially if you found yourself alone with him. A sociopath or a psychopath can often present a charming demeanor, though, so most of us would never notice the predator in our midst. We might not realize the friendly stranger is a brutal murderer until we read the news the next day.

I learned about the killing spree of John Fautenberry in a Facebook message from a reader named Brian Akre. Brian was an Associated Press correspondent in Juneau, Alaska, in 1991, when he encountered Fautenberry at a bar on the night Fautenberry murdered his last victim. Brian said he talked to Fautenberry at the bar and saw him with the man he would murder a few hours later. Brian said, “It was a weird experience. When I saw the news story in the Juneau Empire and realized it was the same guy I had seen at the bar, it sent a shiver down my spine. He just seemed like any other loud, intoxicated guy at a bar on any Saturday night.” Akre said the incident at the Juneau bar was the closest he ever wanted to come to meeting a serial killer.

Sources:

John Joseph Fautenberry. Murderpedia. Available at https://murderpedia.org/male.F/f1/fautenberry.htm

John Fautenberry. Wikipedia. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fautenberry

John Joseph Fautenberry. Clark Prosecutor. Available at http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/fautenberry1170.htm

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Robin Barefield is the author of four Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, and Karluk Bones. Sign up to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska.

What Happened to the Palmer Brothers?

March 24, 2021EpisodeChucky Palmer, Michael Palmer, Missing in Alaska, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Robin Barefield, True Crime in Alaskamurder-in-the-last-frontier

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When a son disappears, his parents suffer a blow from which they will never recover, but how do parents cope when two of their sons vanish? Imagine if those two brothers disappeared a decade apart.

I’ve mentioned before the alarming statistics about the number of people who disappear in Alaska. People walk into the woods and never return. They go out to sea on a boat, and the vessel vanishes. Far too many have climbed into the cockpit of an airplane and evaporated into thin air. In this episode, though, I’ll tell you the tragic, unbelievable account of the disappearance of two brothers.

Alaska State Troopers Department of Public Safety: (907) 269-5511

Sources:

Michael Timothy Palmer. The Charley Project.
https://charleyproject.org/case/michael-timothy-palmer

Charles Edwin Palmer V. The Charley Project.
https://charleyproject.org/case/charles-edwin-palmer-v

Aho, Karen. 7-17-1991. Police Press Hunt for Missing Teen. AK Fatal.
https://www.akfatal.net/Palmer%2006-04-97.htm

KTNA Staff. 5-4-2011. Missing person case from last year still a mystery. KTNA Community Radio for the Susitna Valley.
https://ktna.org/2011/05/missing-persons-case-from-last-year-still-a-mystery/

12-29-2012. Overlapping Disappearances: the Brothers Palmer. Ididitforjodie.
https://ididitforjodie.com/2012/12/29/overlapping-disappearances-the-brothers-palmer/

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The Birdman of Alcatraz

March 8, 2021EpisodeBirdman, Birdman of Alcatraz, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Murder in Alaska, Robert Stroud, Robin Barefieldmurder-in-the-last-frontier

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You might not associate The Birdman of Alcatraz with Alaska, but Robert Stroud, often called the Birdman, once lived in Alaska, and after murdering a man in a Juneau bar, he spent the rest of his life, 54 years. He was in solitary confinement for 42 of those years. Stroud is one of Alaska’s most famous criminals, and if you are like me, you will find his story is fascinating.

Sources:

Robert Stroud Biography (1890-1963). Biography.
https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/robert-stroud-birdman-of-alcatraz

Robert Franklin Stroud. Murderpedia.
https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/stroud-robert.htm

Brennan, Tom. 2001. Birdman of Alcatraz. Murder at 40 Below. Epicenter Press

Bovsun, Mara. 2019. Justice Story: How the “Birdman of Alcatraz” soared to fame. New York Daily News.
https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ny-birdman-of-alcatraz-20191110-o4bduk3cjzg43e5h2pxrojec4i-story.html

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The Killer Who Hibernated in Alaska

February 17, 2021EpisodeAlaska True Crime, Charles Sinclair, Coin Shop Killer, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Murder in Alaska, Robin Barefield, Serial Killermurder-in-the-last-frontier

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Retirees Robert and Dagmar Linton eagerly embarked on a long-planned camping trip in the Pacific Northwest, and they promised their children they would be careful. The Lintons did not express concerns about their journey, but Dagmar made sure their wills and affairs were in order before they left home. Was she just cautious, or did she have a premonition something terrible would befall them? Her son and daughter would always wonder if their mother had concerns, and they would never know what exactly happened to their parents.

Sources
Charles T. Sinclair. Murderpedia. Available at: https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/sinclair-charles.htm

Charles T. Sinclair. Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_T._Sinclair

Smith, Pete. 1-18-2016. 2015 Coin Shop Murders Add to a Long List of Tragic Ends for the Hobby. Coinweek.com. Available at: https://coinweek.com/people-in-the-news/crime-and-fraud/2015-coin-shop-murders/
McMillan, Penelope.

11/23/1990. Suspect in Murder Spree Takes Secrets to the Grave: Serial killings: Detectives are convinced the man who died in Alaska cell left trail of bodies across West. Los Angeles Times. Available at: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-23-mn-5200-story.html

Ice Cold Killers. Season 2, Episode 3. Devil’s Den.

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Robin Barefield is the author of four Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, and Karluk Bones. Sign up to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska.

Who Murdered the Benolkens

January 27, 2021EpisodeBenolken Murders, Emanuel Telles, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Murder in Juneau, Newton Lambert, Robin Barefield, True Crime in Alaskamurder-in-the-last-frontier

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Who brutally raped and murdered James and Anne Benolken in their Juneau apartment in 1982? Nearly four decades later, many questions remain unanswered.

Sources

Sources
Starr, Douglas. 12-1-2013. Do police interrogation techniques produce false confessions?https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/09/the-interview-7

Episode 4: The Benolken Murders, the police investigation and Special Agent Malone
Leo Helmar. Murder Alaska https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7LCJWKcgiQ

Episode 2: Introduction to the Benolken Case. Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/alaska/comments/5vnlq5/murder_alaska_podcast_episode_2_introduction_to/

Episode 3: About the brutal murders of James and Anne Benolken in Juneau, Alaska in 1982

Who Really Murdered the Benolkens? KTOO Public Media
https://www.ktoo.org/2012/07/19/who-really-murdered-the-benolkens/

Juneau man wants DNA tested, seeks review of nearly 30-year old homicide conviction. KTOO Public Media.
https://www.ktoo.org/2012/07/13/juneau-man-wants-dna-tested-seeks-review-of-30-year-old-homicide-conviction/

Integrity of preserved evidence from Benolken double homicide is questioned
https://www.ktoo.org/2013/01/10/integrity-of-evidence-from-benolken-double-homicide-is-questioned/

Court to issue opinion on possible DNA testing in decades-old Juneau homicide. KTOO Public Media. Matt Miller.
https://www.alaskapublic.org/2017/02/07/court-to-issue-opinion-on-possible-dna-testing-in-decades-old-juneau-homicide/

Court upholds appeal in 36-year-old murder case
https://www.juneauempire.com/news/court-upholds-appeal-in-36-year-old-murder-case/

Juneau, Alaska (KINY) The Alaska Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling denying DNA evidence in the case of Newton Patric Lambert Friday Saturday, November 17th, 2018 8:13 am
http://www.kinyradio.com/news/news-of-the-north/dna-ruling-upheld-in-homicide-case/

Who is Michael P. Malone? Corrupt F.B.I. Agent’s Testimony Sent Innocent Man to Prison; Donald Eugene Gates was Convicted of Rape-Murder He Did Not Commit

Who is Michael P. Malone? Corrupt F.B.I. Agent’s Testimony Sent Innocent Man to Prison; Donald Eugene Gates was Convicted of Rape-Murder He Did Not Commit

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Robin Barefield is the author of four Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, and Karluk Bones. Sign up to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska.

The Mystery of the “A” Boats

January 6, 2021EpisodeA Boats, Altair, Americus, Commercial Fishing in Alaska, Crab Fishing in Alaska, Disaster at Sea, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Robin Barefieldmurder-in-the-last-frontier

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On Valentine’s Day 1983, two new, beautiful sister ships, the Americus and the Altair sank in the Bering Sea in calm water while on their way to the king crab grounds near the Pribilof Islands. Fourteen men lost their lives in the worst disaster in the history of U.S. commercial fishing. A massive investigation ensued to determine what happened to the boats and what could be done to make commercial fishing safer.

Those lost:
The Americus:
George Nations
Brent Boles
Larry Littlefield
Rich Awes
Victor Bass
Jeff Nations
Paul Northcutt

The Altair:
Ronald Beirnes
Jeff Martin
Lark Breckenridge
Troy Gudbranson
Randy Harvey
Brad Melvin
Tony Vienhage

Sources:
Much of my newsletter is based on the book Lost At Sea by Patrick Dillon. I’ve read this book three times, and I highly recommend it. Dillon extensively researched the losses of the Americus and Altair. He talked to fishermen, families of those lost, investigators, marine architects, and many other experts and observers. He tells a heart-felt and fact-filled story, not only about the “A” boats but about the commercial fishing industry and the politics of commercial fishing in the early 1980s. There’s so much more in his book than I’ve told you here, and if you’re like me, you won’t be able to put it down once you start reading it.

Twenty Years After A-Boat Disasters, Scars Remain in Community. Available at: https://djcoregon.com/news/2003/02/13/twenty-years-after-aboat-disaster-scars-remain-in-fishing-community/

United States Coast Guard Marine Casualty Report. Available at: https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/docs/boards/amerialtair.pdf

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