Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier Robin Barefield

People move to the Alaska wilderness either because they enjoy solitude and crave a subsistence lifestyle or because they wish to escape society. People who fall into this second category are either misfits who don’t know how or don’t want to blend in with others, or they are criminals, seeking to escape arrest and hoping to disappear into the vast wilderness. Many of my episodes have dealt with individuals who ran to Alaska from a life of crime elsewhere. They might have hoped to turn their lives around but instead, most brought their problems and psychopathic tendencies with them.



Until Memorial Day weekend in 1997, Paul Stavenjord seemed to have succeeded at escaping his criminal past, but then something in him snapped, leaving two people dead and forever altering the course of Stavenjord’s life.



Sources:



Brennan, Tom, 2003. Murder at 40 Below. Chapter 7: “The bank robber next door.” 2001. Kenmore, WA: Epicenter Press.



Court of Appeals of Alaska, no. A-7418. Stavenjord v. State. March 28, 2003.



Ice Cold Killers. Season 1, Episode 3: “Mountain man.”



Menerey, Amy. “Convicted murderer’s appeal denied.” April 8, 2003. Mat Su Valley Frontiersman.



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Robin Barefield is the author of five Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, and Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge. She has also written two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. 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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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



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As a state, Alaska has never had the death penalty. It was abolished in 1957, two years before Alaska became the 49th state in the union. However, from 1869 until 1957, twelve male felons were hanged for murder, robbery, and other crimes. This is the story about the unequal application of the death penalty in Alaska and why capital punishment was abolished in the state.

Sources:

Heaton, John W. Outlaw Tales of Alaska. “Fred Hardy.”2015. Guilford, CT. Rowman & Littlefield.



Green, Melissa S. “A History of the Death Penalty in Alaska.” July 20, 2001. UAA Justice Center Website.



Green, Melissa S. “The Death Penalty in Alaska.” Winter, 2009. Alaska Justice Forum.



Kiffer, Dave. “Abolition of Alaska’s Death Penalty.” October 15, 2005. Sitnews.



Lerman, Averil. “The Trial and Hanging of Nelson Charles.” Spring, 1996. Alaska Justice Forum.



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COMING SOON!



__________________________________________________________________________



IF YOU ENJOY LISTENING TO YOUR NOVEL, CHECK OUT

MASSACRE AT BEAR CREEK LODGE

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Join the Murder and Mystery in the First Frontier Facebook Group!



__________________________________________________________________________________________________



Robin Barefield is the author of five Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, and Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge. She has also written two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. 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:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com

Check out her books at Author Masterminds



___________________________________________________________________________________



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

 



 



 



 

Anchorage, Alaska, is the small plane capital of the world, and flying in Alaska is a thrilling experience where you can view spectacular scenery and reach remote lakes, rivers, and stretches of wilderness that are inaccessible by road.  For the commercial pilots who fly these small planes, though, the job can be stressful at times, and they must depend on their skills and common sense. Commercial pilots in Alaska have a tough job, but near the bottom of a pilot’s list of concerns is the fear he will be murdered on the job.  After all, who would want to kill his pilot?

Sources:

“Duryea v. State.” Court of Appeals No. A-6964. Court of Appeals of Alaska. Any Law.



Rinehart, Steve. “Sniper fire kills pilot man who called plane in custody.” May 18, 1983. Anchorage Daily News.



Sullivan, Patty. “Judge sentences killer to 50 years.” January 14, 1998. Anchorage Daily News.



“William Duryea v. State of Alaska, Department of Corrections, and Joseph Schmidt,  Commissioner of the Department of Corrections.” July 16, 2012. THE SUPERIOR COURT FOR THE STATE OF ALASKA THIRD JUDICIAL DISTRICT AT PALMER.



 



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__________________________________________________________________________________________________



Robin Barefield is the author of five Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, and Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge. She has also written two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. 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:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com

Check out her books at Author Masterminds



___________________________________________________________________________________



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

 



 



 

On the evening of July 7th, 1979, a plane disappeared near Kodiak Island in fair weather and moderate seas. News agencies in Alaska reported little about the missing plane and its occupants. Although reports of the apparent fatal crash made more of a splash in Great Britain, official sources offered no comment about the loss of a man who had done so much to protect Britain against the USSR during the Cold War. Even now, the disappearance of Ian Mackintosh is cloaked in secrecy, and many wonder if he died in the plane crash or if the accident was a cover story, allowing Mackintosh to disappear.  The 2012 book, The Life and Mysterious Death of Ian Mackintosh by Robert G. Folsom explores everything the author could uncover about a brilliant man's secret life and mysterious disappearance.

Sources

Folsom, Robert G. The Life and Mysterious Death of Ian Mackintosh.2012. Washington, D.C. Potomac Books, Inc.



Mackintosh, Lawrie. “My brother, Ian Mackintosh.” OpsRoom.Org.



MacLeod, Calum. “Did spy writer’s disappearance mirror his fiction?” January 3, 2013. John O’Groat Journal and Caithness Courier.



Ian Mackintosh. Check-Six.Com.



 



 



 



________________________________________________________________________________________

NOW AVAILABLE

THE AUDIOBOOK OF MASSACRE AT BEAR CREEK LODGE





____________________________________________________________________________________

Join the Murder and Mystery in the First Frontier Facebook Group!



__________________________________________________________________________________________________



Robin Barefield is the author of five Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, and Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge. She has also written two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. 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:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com

Check out her books at Author Masterminds



___________________________________________________________________________________



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

 



 



 

You might be familiar with the recent National Geographic documentary series, Alaska State Troopers. The show followed several troopers from different areas of the state as they made their daily rounds. Two of the troopers featured on the show were Sergeant Patrick “Scott” Johnson and Gabriel “Gabe” Rich. Both men worked out of the Alaska State Troopers’ Fairbanks Rural Service Unit. A camera crew was not with the men on the fateful day of May 1st, 2014.



Sources



Chomicz, Dorothy. “Kangas found guilty of evidence tampering in Alaska State Trooper deaths.” April 23, 2015. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.



Chomicz, Dorothy. Arvin Kangas sentenced in case related to Alaska StateTrooper killings.” September 3, 2015. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.



Chomicz, Dorothy. “Courtroom tenses as Nathanial Kangas murder trial gets underway.” May 9, 2016. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.



Chomicz, Dorothy. “Pilot describes scene in Tanana minutes after troopers killed.” May 10, 2016. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.



Edge, Josh. “Man convicted in Tanana trooper killings sentenced to 203 years in prison.” November 3, 2016. Alaska Public Media.



______________________________________________________________________________________________________

NOW AVAILABLE

THE AUDIOBOOK OF MASSACRE AT BEAR CREEK LODGE





____________________________________________________________________________________

Join the Murder and Mystery in the First Frontier Facebook Group!



__________________________________________________________________________________________________



Robin Barefield is the author of five Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, and Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge. She has also written two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. 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:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

Visit her website at http://robinbarefield.com

Check out her books at Author Masterminds



___________________________________________________________________________________



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

 



 



 



 



 

This story has all the elements of a Greek tragedy or a Shakespearean play, and it could easily inspire the plot of a movie or a mystery novel. Unfortunately, this is a true drama, and the outcome deprived children of their father and a wife of her new husband. We will never know how this event truly ended. The last few moments aboard the R66 helicopter and the pilot’s mindset will remain a mystery.



Did Andy Teuber’s helicopter crash into the Gulf of Alaska because he purposely flew it into the ocean, sparing his family and himself the embarrassment of a tawdry, drawn-out court case that could land him in prison? Or was Teuber distracted and perhaps taking chances he wouldn’t usually take because he was rushing to get home to his family in Kodiak before the news media broke the story about his messy affair? Some people believe the Anchorage Daily News, the largest newspaper in Alaska, bears a portion of the blame for Teuber’s tragic death. If the paper hadn’t rushed to print a story about Teuber before carefully fact-checking it, perhaps Andy Teuber would still be alive.

Sources

Downing, Suzanne. “‘He said, she said’: Was this a case of journalistic murder?” March 3, 2021. Must Read Alaska.



Hopkins, Kyle and Boots, Michelle T. “ANTHC boss resigned after employee accused him of ‘unrelenting’ abuse.” March 2, 2021.  Anchorage Daily News.



Herz, Nathaniel. “Alaska’s top tribal health executive, Andy Teuber, has resigned. February 23, 2021. Alaska Public Media – Anchorage.



Hollander, Zac. “Alaska health executive’s helicopter crashed during flight to reach family before report on allegations of sexual misconduct, pilot tells NTSB.” March 23, 2021. Anchorage Daily News.



Hollander, Zac. “Missing Alaska health executive’s ‘death by accident’ verdict leaves questions surrounding helicopter crash.” April 28, 2021. Anchorage Daily News.



Medred, Craig. “Speed kills.” March 24, 2021. Craig Medred News.



Rivera, Daniella. “NTSB: Investigation into missing helicopter might not include examination of wreckage.” March 3, 2021. KTUU.



Simard, Dylan. “Mask burning ceremony held in honor of Andy Teuber.” June 1, 2022. KMXT.



Smith, Valerie. “Never found: the disappearance and presumed death of Alaska’s Andy Teuber and everything that led up to his Robinson R66 crash on March 2, 2021.” September 26, 2022. Writing by Valerie.



Accident Number: ANC21LA020. National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report.



_________________________________________________________________________________________________

NOW AVAILABLE

THE AUDIOBOOK OF MASSACRE AT BEAR CREEK LODGE





____________________________________________________________________________________

Join the Murder and Mystery in the First Frontier Facebook Group!



__________________________________________________________________________________________________



Robin Barefield is the author of five Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, and Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge. She has also written two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. 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:

Facebook

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 F...