Tag Archives: Alaska True Crime Podcast

Mysterious Murderer William Dempsey

November 20, 2024EpisodeAlaska History, Alaska Murder, Alaska Podcast, Alaska True Crime, Alaska True Crime Podcast, Deputy Marshal Isaac Evans, Marie Lavor, Murder and Mystery in Alaska, Murder Podcast, Mystery Podcast, Robin Barefield, True Crime Podcast, William Dempseymurder-in-the-last-frontier

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What was his name? How old was he? Where did he come from? What happened to him? These are a few of the questions concerning the man known as William Dempsey. Eyewitnesses saw him murder Deputy U.S. Marshal Isaac Evans, and a jury convicted him of killing Marie Lavor, but did he murder others? Was he a young man named William Dempsey, as he claimed, or did he steal the real William Dempsey’s identity? One hundred years later, these questions continue to elude historians.

Sources

Herron, Charles.”Charles E. Herron questions arch-fiend and obtains inside information on Lavor murder.” September 6, 1919. Anchorage Daily Times.

Fair, Clark. “A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey Story – Part 1.” February 3, 2023. Homer News.

Fair, Clark. “A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey Story – Part 2.” March 23, 2023. Homer News.

Fair, Clark. “A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey Story – Part 3.” March 30, 2023. Homer News.

Fair, Clark. “A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey Story – Part 4.” April 6, 2023. Homer News.

Fair, Clark. “A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey Story – Part 5.” April 13, 2023. Homer News.

Fair, Clark. “A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey Story – Part 6.” April 20, 2023. Homer News.

Fair, Clark. “A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey Story – Part 7.” April 27, 2023. Homer News.

Fair, Clark. “A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey Story – Part 9.” May 11, 2023. Homer News.

Heaton, John W. 1915. Ed Krause. “William Dempsey.” Outlaw Tales of Alaska. TwoDot. Guilford, CT.

“Deputy Marshal Evans dies of wounds received at hand of Dempsey – Bandit at large.” September 3, 1919. Anchorage Daily Times.

“Last chapter of Lavor mystery has been told in confession of Wm Dempsey, confessed murderer.” September 6, 1919. Anchorage Daily Times.

“William Dempsey, murderer of Deputy US Marshal Evans is captured this afternoon.” September 4, 1919. Anchorage Daily Times.

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Visit the Christmas Book Bazaar on Facebook. Meet the authors, win prizes, and shop for good deals on great books! I’ll see you there!

Featured Books for the Christmas Book Bazaar

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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.

FTA: The Palmer Machete Killer

November 6, 2024EpisodeAlaska Podcast, Alaska True Crime, Alaska True Crime Podcast, Alaska True Murder, Christopher Rogers, Elann Moren, Erin Rogers, Machete Killer, Murder Podcast, Palmer Alaska, Robin Barefield, True Crime Podcastmurder-in-the-last-frontier

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We’ve all seen the horror movie where a stranger towers over his unsuspecting victim while she sleeps, and she awakes just in time to see him swing the machete toward her head. Imagine if this is no horror movie but a terrible, true event happening as you struggle to clear your mind from sleep and attempt to focus on your survival instincts. Now, what if you know the maniac wielding the machete, and he is someone close to you? Can you fathom anything so horrible? Elann Moren had no choice; she had to grapple with the situation and spring into action. In one moment, her beautiful, new life turned into a horrible nightmare.

Sources

Associated Press. “Another 189 years for Alaska machete murderer.” December 26, 2012. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Associated Press. “Man charged with killing father with machete.” December 4, 2007. MSNBC.

Court of Appeals of Alaska, no. A-10635. Rogers v. State. June 15, 2012.https://caselaw

McKinney, Deborah. “Palmer machete killer’s sentences now total 498 years.” January 11, 2010. Anchorage Daily News.

Wellner, Andrew. “Hero dog done in by tumor.” December 8, 2011. MatSu Valley Frontiersman.

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

MASSACRE AT BEAR CREEK LODGE

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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 Author Masterminds

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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 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

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Merchandise! Visit the Store

Murder at the Mayor’s House

October 23, 2024EpisodeAlaska Murder, Alaska Podcast, Alaska True Crime, Alaska True Crime Podcast, Anthony Richards, Clement Richards Jr., Clement Richards Sr., Jennifer Kirk, Kotzebue, Murder and Mystery in Alaska, Murder Podcast, Robin Barefielde, Susanna Norton, True Crime Podcastmurder-in-the-last-frontier

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When the Kotzebue police entered a bedroom in a house on the mayor’s property on May 23, 2018, they found the lifeless body of twenty-five-year-old Jennifer Kirk curled at the foot of the bed. A rifle lay across her feet. She had strangulation marks on her neck and a bullet wound under her chin. Even before receiving the autopsy report, the Kotzebue police quickly ruled Kirk’s death a suicide. Two years later, the police were called to an adjacent house on the same property to examine the body of Susanna Norton. They could not so easily dismiss Susanna’s death because the medical examiner ruled it a homicide. Someone had strangled Susanna to death. The deaths of Jennifer Kirk and Susanna Norton, both Inupiaq women, highlight the continuing issue of violence against Alaska Native women.

Sources:

Boots, Michelle Theriault. “’No more silence’: her kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder stunned a town and started a movement. Anchorage Daily News.

College of Health. “Alaska Victimization Survey.” University of Alaska Anchorage.

Dobbyn, Paula. “Victimization of Alaska women staggeringly high and rising.” October 12, 2021. Victims for Justice.

Hopkins, Kyle. “For families in Northwest Alaska, questions remain about unsolved deaths and ‘suicides.’” November 21, 2023. Anchorage Daily News.

Hopkins, Kyle. “One woman died on an Alaska mayor’s property. Then another. No one has ever been charged.” November 11, 2023. Anchorage Daily News.

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Visit the Christmas Book Bazaar for Fun, Games, and Good Deals on Great Books!

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Now Available at 25% off the Cover Price in The Reader’s and Writers Facebook Club Christmas Book Bazaar

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

MASSACRE AT BEAR CREEK LODGE

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If you would 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 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 Kidnapping and Murder of David Grunwald

December 5, 2022EpisodeAlaska True Crime, Alaska True Crime Podcast, David Grunwald, Murder in Alaska, Robin Barefield, Teen Murder, True Crimemurder-in-the-last-frontier

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Any murder represents a level of greed, lust, or stupidity abhorrent to most humans, but when a child murders another child, the depravity reaches a new low. It is a sign of a rip in our society’s moral fabric when a teenager thinks murder is the best way to handle a petty fight with his friend. I do not like to read or write stories about kids killing kids, but I also do not feel it is acceptable to look the other way. The problem won’t simply disappear if we ignore it. Two horrible incidents of teen murderers have occurred in Alaska in the last few years, and in this episode, I will profile one of them.

Sources:

12-7-2016. Docs: Alaska teen was walked into woods, shot execution-style. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/david-grunwald-docs-alaska-teen-was-walked-into-woods-shot-execution-style-suspect/

5-24-2018. The details in the Grunwald killing fell into place one early December day in 2016 – Investigators lured suspects to a Palmer hotel, found the 16-year-old’s body, and arrested the first teen charged with the killing – all in the same day, according to testimony. Anchorage Daily News. https://adn.newsbank.com/doc/news/16C1DF6C34370508?Search_terms

12-27-2018. Deliberations begin in murder trial of second teen charged in Grunwald slaying – Was Dominic Johnson the catalyst that triggered the killing, or was he not even in the car that drove David Grunwald to his death? Anchorage Daily News. https://adn.newsbank.com/doc/news/17090E308AECB8f0?search_terms

Hollander, Zaz. 10-1-2019. Teen on trial for murder of David Grunwald recounts moments leading up to shooting. Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2019/10/01/teen-on-trial-for-murder-of-david-grunwald-recounts-moments-leading-up-to-his-death/

10-8-2019. Jury delivers 8 guilty verdicts in Alaska teen murder trial. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/e60bbefa195a47129048307f499f8d9c

Hollander, Zaz. 10-9-2019. Third teen convicted of murder in David Grunwald’s 2016 killing. Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2019/10/08/third-teen-convicted-of-murder-in-david-grunwalds-2016-killing/

Clark, Taylor. 2-5-2020. Fourth suspect in David Grunwald murder case pleads guilty to murder, kidnapping. Alaska’s News Source. https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/content/news/Fourth-suspect-in-David-Grunwald-murder-case-pleads-guilty-to-murder-in-second-degree-567600251.html

Hollander, Zaz. 11-20-2020. First defendant sentenced in Palmer teen’s 2016 murder gets 45 years during emotional live-streamed hearing. Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2020/11/20/first-defendant-sentenced-in-palmer-teens-2016-murder-gets-45-years-during-emotional-live-streamed-hearing/

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Coming Soon

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

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If you would 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 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 or discounts on MMLF merchandise or handmade glass jewelry. Become a Patron!

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Check out the store: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier merchandise.

Maximum Security Part 1: The Brutal Murder of Shirley Koonz

June 7, 2022EpisodeAlaska True Crime Podcast, Fairbanks Murder, Kristopher Marcy, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Murder in Alaska, Robin Barefield, Shirley Koonz, True Crimemurder-in-the-last-frontier

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Alaska is a dangerous place; many things can kill you here. Vicious predators, extreme temperatures, treacherous terrain, raging rivers, violent storms, and the churning ocean describe a few of the challenges facing humans in the 49^th state. Wilderness dangers did not worry Shirley Koonz, though. She’d spent most of her adult life in the Alaska wilderness, and along with her husband, she’d raised her six kids on a one-hundred-and-sixty-acre homestead. Shirley knew how to survive in the Alaska wilderness, but when circumstances forced her to move to Fairbanks, Shirley lost her footing. She didn’t fear wild animals, but she was wary of humans, and unfortunately, her instincts proved correct. Not long after moving into her double-wide trailer on the edge of Fairbanks, a monster entered her home and stabbed her 26 times.

Sources

Homicide probers seek clues in stabbing death. 6-14-1988. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Stabbing death stymies investigators. 6-24-1988. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Capps, Kris. 7-1-1988. Jury indicts man in death of Koonz. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Marcy to stand trial in Koonz murder case.7-2-1988. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Gale, Lin. 7-7-1988. Neighbor linked to Koonz murder. The Pioneer. All-Alaska Weekly.

Capps, Kris. 11-29-1988. State describes its case in Koonz murder trial. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Capps, Kris. 11-30-1988. Evidence in Marcy trial aired. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Capps, Kris. 12-1-1988. Marcy on tape, tells of knifing victim once. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Capps, Kris. 12-2-1988. Marcy offers no defense nor are witnesses called. Fairbanks Daily News Miner.

Capps, Kris. 12-3-1988. Jury convicts Marcy of murdering Koonz. Fairbanks Daily News Miner.

Farneski, Anna. 2-1-1989. Marcy gets 139 years for murder. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Marcy gets life for murder. 2-2-1989. The Pioneer. All Alaska Weekly.

If you would like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club.
Each month I will provide one or more of the following to club members.
· An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier 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 or discounts on MMLF merchandise or handmade glass jewelry. Become a Patron!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Check out the store: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier merchandise.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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

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If you would like to check out one of my novels, visit The Readers and Writers Book Club, where you can read Murder Over Kodiak – Free! While you are there, take a look at some of the other free book serializations by wonderful authors in nearly every genre you can imagine.

For an exciting experience, watch short videos from some of my fellow Author Mastermind authors. Two of the videos are mine!

Gog and Magog https://youtu.be/bvpfYW85MtA

Gorgon https://youtu.be/PT_h8Ojs8jw

Heart of Abigail https://youtu.be/SoDk94zvVFE

Impossible Crime Series https://youtu.be/cCULH4WMyYA

Ingress https://youtu.be/Wi9ar5yQnq8

Jimmy the Goat https://youtu.be/9LNiSUwiv0E

Karluk Bones https://youtu.be/gV7h1tgxUhY

Kashmir https://youtu.be/lc8ZKvdMwgo

Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge https://youtu.be/gUYxSndRxrk

My Wonderful Life With Diabetes https://youtu.be/tVI4y9WrTtI

One Last Cast https://youtu.be/2wzwWmim-2g

Oracle of Light https://youtu.be/P0COZN923Lo

The Kidnapping and Murder of Amy Sue Patrick

November 10, 2021EpisodeAlaska State Troopers, Alaska True Crime Podcast, Amy Sue Patrick, Kyung Yoon, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Murder in Alaska, Robin Barefield, True Crime in Alaska, True Crime Podcast, Wasilla Alaskamurder-in-the-last-frontier

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We can never know another person’s thoughts and motivations. Most killers have a reason to commit murder; whether for revenge, jealously, or money, they understand why they killed their victim. Kyung Yoon, though, said he did not know why he killed Amy Sue Patrick. He claimed he murdered her on the spur of the moment, but some evidence suggests Yoon premeditated the crime. Events in this case took a bizarre twist when the troopers arrested Yoon and hauled him to prison.

Sources

Mathiesen, Peter B. 2015. The Story of Amy Sue Patrick. Tales of the Alaska State Troopers. Skyhorse Publishing. New York, NY.

Doto, Pamela. 9-27-1991. House sitter, 18, disappears. Anchorage Daily News.

Wohlforth, Charles. 10-7-1991. Wasilla woman apparent murder victim. Anchorage Daily News.

10-8-1991. Suspect apparently took his life after confessing. Anchorage Daily News.

10-8-1991. Man held in murder falls sick in jail, dies. Sitka Sentinel.

Enge, Marilee. 10-9-1991. Troopers say Yoon took arsenic. Anchorage Daily News.

10-9-1991. Arsenic Found after murder suspect dies. Sitka Sentinel.

10-12 -1991. Toxicologist tells how arsenic works. Anchorage Daily News.

10-14-1991. FBI probes death of suspect in Anchorage. Sitka Sentinel.

Enge, Marilee. 10-16-1991. Yoon’s letters ask forgiveness. Anchorage Daily News.

10-16-1991. Troopers defend way murder case handled. Sitka Sentinel.

Randall, Gail. 10-19-1991. Troopers call in dogs to search for body. Anchorage Daily News.

10-20-1991. German Dogs to search Alaskan landfill for body. The Seattle Times. Available at: https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive?date=19911020&slug=1311977

Doto, Pamela. 10-26-1991. Search for body on again. Anchorage Daily News.

Doto, Pamela. 10-27-1991. Teen’s Body Found. Anchorage Daily News.

11-15-1991. Murder suspect’s rights not violated, FBI says. Sitka Sentinel.

Randall, Gail. 11-20-1991. Crime lab can’t tell if teen was molested. Anchorage Daily News.

Randall, Gail. 12-4-1991. Yoon killed himself, inquest finds. Anchorage Daily News.

Randall, Gail. 3-22-1992. Why did Kyung Yoon confess? Anchorage Daily News.

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Check out the store: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier merchandise.

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Recent Book Release

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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.