Tag Archives: True Crime

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.

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

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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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Maximum Security Part 2: Bryan Perotti

June 28, 2022EpisodeBryan Perotti, Kristopehr MArcy, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Robin Barefield, Spring Creek Correctional Center, True Crime, True Crime in Alaskamurder-in-the-last-frontier

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In 1994, Kristopher Marcy and his friend, Bryan Perotti, managed the unthinkable when they escaped from Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, Alaska. When Marcy and Perotti first escaped, the police warned the public to be on the lookout for the pair. They considered both inmates dangerous, but they believed Bryan Perotti was the most violent of the two. Since Kristopher Marcy was in prison for stabbing a grandmother 26 times and then raping her as she lay dying, I couldn’t imagine a more violent predator and was curious to learn the details of Bryan Perotti’s young life and the crime that sent him to prison for 99 years.

Sources:

Stokes, Elisabeth Fairfield. 2017. Letters to Prison. Pacific Standard. https://psmag.com/social-justice/letters-to-prison

Court of Appeals of Alaska. 2-8-1991. Perotti v. State. https://law.justia.com/cases/alaska/court-of-appeals/1991/a-3314-0.html

Chief Judge Bryner. 12-24-1992. Perotti v. State. Court of Appeals of Alaska. https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/591486e4add7b049344dc8fc

Vanapalli, Viswa. 1-23-2022. Where is Bryan Perotti Now? The Cinemaholic. https://thecinemaholic.com/where-is-byran-perotti-now/

Kalsnes, Lynette. 3-17-1994. Escaped murderers recaptured. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Kalsnes, Lynette. 3-18-1994. Prison assesses escape. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Kizzia, Tom. 3-20-1994. Escape changes feelings about Seward prison. Anchorage Daily News.

The Associated Press. 3-22-1994. Audit cited security problems at Spring Creek. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Kalsnes, Lynette. 3-24-1994. Officials link missing wirecutters to jailbreak. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

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For an exciting experience, watch short videos from some of the Author Mastermind authors.

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

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:
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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

Ed Krause – Alaska’s First Serial Killer

May 18, 2022EpisodeAlaska Serial Killer, Ed Krause, Juneau Alaska, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Robin Barefield, Serial Killer, True Crime, True Crime in Alaskamurder-in-the-last-frontier

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Many serial killers have called Alaska home, and if you apply the broadest definition to the term, then serial killers terrorized settlers here long before profilers coined the term “serial killer.” A near-total lack of law enforcement in Alaska in the early 1900s allowed human predators to prowl the territory and prey on settlers and gold miners. Imagine the nervous miners who had amassed a quantity of gold. How did they sleep? Terror must have gripped them during the long trek from their claim to the nearest town and bank where they could deposit their gold.

Ed Krause was a vile predator who killed with no remorse and then took what he wanted. We will never know how many people Krause murdered or how much money, gold, fox furs, land, and other valuables he stole, but what we do know paints Krause as one of the darkest figures in Alaska’s history.

Sources:

Heaton, John W. 1915. Ed Krause. Outlaw Tales of Alaska. TwoDot. Guilford, CT.

Hunt, William R. 1987. Hard to Convict. Distant Justice. University of Oklahoma Press. Norman, Ok.

Story Time with Aunt Phil: Alaska’s first serial killer. KTVA. Available at: https://auntphilstrunk.com/alaskas-first-serial-killer-strikes/

Nov. 19, 1915. Krause’s Career of Crime Was a Long and a Bad One. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Apr. 13, 1917. Edward Krause Saws bars and makes escape. Juneau Alaska Daily Empire.

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Betrayal of Trust: The Murder of Sonya Ivanoff

April 23, 2022EpisodeAlaska True Crime, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Nome Police Corruption, Robin Barefield, Sonya Ivanoff Murder, True Crimemurder-in-the-last-frontier

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Recent events have reminded us that we cannot always trust the police to protect us. In the U.S., though, bad policemen and women represent only a small minority of law enforcement. I feel I can turn to the police if I need help, and if I report a crime, I believe they will respond and investigate my claim. The police in Nome, Alaska, however, often did not take reports of sexual harassment seriously, especially claims made by Alaska Native women. The Nome Police Department had a serious problem, and it took the murder of a beautiful, 19-year-old woman to expose the ugly truth.

Sources:

Troopers whittle down murder suspects list. 10-22-2003. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Associate Press. Nome cop charged with murder. 10-27-2003. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Brant, Tataboline. 10-29-2003. Nome police must work to regain trust after officer charged with murder. Anchorage Daily News.https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/rural-alaska/2018/08/23/from-2003-nome-police-must-work-to-regain-trust-after-officer-charged-with-murder

Anchorage AP. 11-10-2003. Suspect demonstrated suspicious behavior. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 1-19-2005. Trial begins for officer charged with murder. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 1-21-2005. Officer killed woman, staged theft, court told. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 1-24-2005. Murder victim entered police car, women say. Whitehorse Daily Star.

2-23-2005. Jury to begin deliberations in Nome Murder Trial. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 2-25-2005. Murder trial hears final arguments. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Tsong, Nicole. 3-2-2005. Jury foreman: majority voted to convict officer. Sitka Daily Sentinel.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 11-30-2005. Ex-officer on trial for the second time. Whitehorse Daily Star.

Anchorage, Alaska AP. 12-9-2005. Nome, family settle suit over woman’s murder. Sitka Daily Sentinel.

Nome, Alaska, AP. 4-21-2006. Ex-officer jailed 99 years for murder. Whitehorse Daily Star. Owens v. State. 3-3-2010. Court of Appeals of Alaska. Court of Appeals No. A-9640. Casetext. https://casetext.com/case/owens-v-state-590

Mackenzie, Victoria and Maye-E, Wong. 12-22-2019. In Nome, Alaska, Review of rape ‘cold cases’ hits a wall. The Spokesman Review.

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I am excited to announce the release of my fifth novel — Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge.

Watch the short video about Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge.

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How to Become a Widow

March 5, 2022EpisodeAlaska Tue Crime, Fairbanks, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Murder in Alaska, Robin Barefield, True Crimemurder-in-the-last-frontier

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Someone entered Buck Hofhines’s Fairbanks home on a bitterly cold January night and shot him seven times. His young bride, Verna, discovered his body, and she appeared shocked and confused. She told the Alaska State Troopers that she didn’t know why anyone would want to murder her husband. Authorities immediately suspected her of the crime, but she had a convincing alibi. Verna Hofhines was on stage performing as an exotic dancer when someone brutally murdered her husband, Buck.

This crime and the resulting trial captivated the residents of Fairbanks. The trial included a “Perry Mason moment” and a violent offender who was not finished terrorizing the residents of Alaska.

Sources:

Brennan, Tom. 2005. A Fairbanks Divorce. Pgs. 7-87. Cold Crime. Epicenter Press.

Two Persons held in Hofhines’’ death. 2-24-1972. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Harmonica Player, Dancer Charged With Murder, 2-25-1972. Fairbanks Pioneer All- Alaska Weekly.

State Presents ‘Barebones’ Case in Brutal Hofhines Murder. 3-3-1972. Fairbanks Pioneer All-Alaska Weekly.

Hofhines’ wife held, man freed in murder. 3-3-1972. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Preliminary Hearing Held in Hofhines Murder. 3-3-1972. Fairbanks Pioneer All-Alaska Weekly.

‘I wanted to be a widow’ Mrs. Hofhines tells court. 6-15-1972. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

The Hofhines Murder Case – A $5,000 Killing Done on Credit. 6-23-1972. Fairbanks Pioneer All-Alaska Weekly.

Anthony is guilty says jury verdict. 6-17-1972. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Anthony given life term in Hofhines murder case. 7-26-1972. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Go-Go Dancer Gets 20 Yr. Sentence For Murder One. 11-3-1972. Fairbanks Pioneer All-Alaska Weekly.

Anchorage jury finds Anthony guilty of murder. 10-12-1974. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Convicted killer Anthony flees, manhunt underway. 10-14-1974. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Anthony Convicted, Escapes, Captured, New Charges. 10-18-1974. Fairbanks Pioneer All-Alaska Weekly.

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I am excited to announce the release of my fifth novel — Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge.

Watch a short video about the novel.

The Bethel School Shooting

December 3, 2021EpisodeBethel Alaska, Bethel Schol Shooting, Evan Ramsey, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Robin Barefield, School Shooting, True Crime, True Crime in Alaskamurder-in-the-last-frontier

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Before Santa Fe, before Marjory Stoneman Douglas, before Sandy Hook, and even before Columbine, there was Bethel Regional High School in Bethel, Alaska. On February 19, 1997, Evan Ramsey loaded a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun, hid the gun in his pants, and rode the school bus to the Bethel Regional High School, where he attended classes. What happened next would tear apart the small town of Bethel, Alaska, and as with all the school shootings to follow, students and parents would be left asking, “Why?”

Sources:

Evan E. Ramsey. Murderpedia. https://murderpedia.org/male.R/r/ramsey-evan.htm

10-10-2007. Four Wounded in Cleveland School Shooting Rampage. Anderson Cooper 360. CNN. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0710/10/acd.01.html

McBride, Rhonda. 2-22-2017. Twenty years after the Bethel School shooting. Alaska PublicMedia.

https://www.alaskapublic.org/2017/02/22/20-years-after-the-bethel-school-shooting/

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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.

Deadly Passion

September 9, 2021UncategorizedAlaska Murder, Hank Dawson, Jim Wheeler, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, Robin Barefield, True Crime, Wasillamurder-in-the-last-frontier

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What would you do for love? What if someone stands between you and your heart’s desire, and the person in the middle is your true love’s estranged spouse? What if the woman you love and her spouse try to rekindle the flames of their damaged marriage, and you must think of them together? Would you accept defeat and quietly walk away, or would you take a more proactive approach? Jim Wheeler decided the best path to his true love’s heart was to blow up her husband’s truck with her husband in it.

Sources:

Neighbor jailed in bombing of guardsman. 11/10/1993. Anchorage Daily News.https://adn.newsbank.com/doc/news/0F78EA61D7B5E22?search_terms

Love may be bomb motive friends say suspect had crush on wife of slain man. 11/11/1993. Anchorage Daily News.https://adn.newsbank.com/doc/news/0F78EA16B5AAD13A?search_terms

Indicted for murder grand jury cites alleged love-sick bomber. 11/20/1993. Anchorage Daily News. https://adn.newsbank.com/doc/news/0F78EA41ED13BA65?search_terms

2^nd man arrested in truck bombing Troopers say suspect held in Washington faces murder charge for Wasilla blast. 3/4/1994. Anchorage Daily News. https://adn.newsbank.com/doc/news/0F78EC96B3F4A800?search_terms

Police followed trail left by blind poodle. 3/9/1994. Seattle Times. https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19940309&slug=1899341

Murder suspect fights extradition. 4/5/1994. Anchorage Daily News.https://adn.newsbank.com/doc/news/0F78ECBE385D18DD?search_terms

Affair fact or fantasy figures large as bomb victim’s widow sues accused man, their relationship takes center stage. 5/5/1994. https://adn.newsbank.com/doc/news/0F78EB491CFEF77D?search_terms

Bomb suspect pleads not guilty to murder. 6/25/1994. Anchorage Daily News. https://adn.newsbank.com/doc/news/0F78EB81C856C7E9?search_terms

Neighbor Convicted of Wasilla Bomb Murder. 10/21/1994 Daily Sitka Sentinel. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/13043179/

Bomb case bound for federal court – 5 charges filed in slaying. 12/19/1996. Anchorage Daily News. https://adn.newsbank.com/doc/news/0F7933BEEA0ABAC4?search_terms

United States v. Geiger. 8/31/2001. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. https://casetext.com/case/us-v-geiger-4

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NEW BOOK RELEASE

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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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NEW BOOK RELEASE

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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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NEW BOOK RELEASE

Watch the trailer to learn more about this non-fiction wildlife book.

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Join me on:
Facebook
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Visit my website at http://robinbarefield.com
Check out my books at Author Masterminds

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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.