November 8, 2005
MARY AMES\Frontiersman reporter
|
|
Last week, the jury heard testimony that Richard Deremer, 34, and his wife, Cynthia Estes-Deremer, planned the murder of her cousin, David McKinney, 49.
Deremer fired the killing shot, according to his own statements to witnesses about 10 months after the crime. After the slaying, the couple broke into McKinney's floor safe to steal his pain medications and then set the house on fire to conceal evidence of the crime, according to witness testimony.
When the Big Lake Fire Department responded to the fire at McKinney's house, they found the charred remains of a body. At the time, they learned McKinney used a wood stove as his primary heat source and that he often fell asleep with a cigarette burning, and no one expected foul play at first.
But evidence discovered by Chief State Medical Examiner Franc Fallico showed something different. On Friday, Fallico showed his findings to the jury, including X-rays taken through a body bag when it arrived at the state crime lab.
Fallico showed the jury an X-ray of the victim's head and neck area. Above the jaw line in the X-ray, there was nothing left of the head. Fallico also testified that no soot was found in McKinney's airway or lungs, indicating he was not alive at the time of the fire.
When Deremer began talking to people about the crime, according to testimony, he said he wanted to leave his wife, but was afraid she would tell police he killed McKinney.
One of the people Deremer reportedly told was his cousin and employer, Jason Chew. After Chew told Alaska State Troopers about Deremer's confession, troopers fitted him with a wire to wear so they could record a confession.
“I pulled the trigger and covered him up,” Deremer told his cousin. “Pretty much the whole thing was her (Deremer's wife). I was just the laborer. It was messy. It was very f-----g messy. Murder is messy.”
Deremer later told Chew that McKinney was lying on his couch when Deremer kicked in the front door. McKinney raised up and began to lift up his hands, he said, when Deremer pulled the trigger on the 12-gauge shotgun at a distance Fallico estimated at no more than 4 feet away.
Deremer told Chew that McKinney introduced his wife to “hard-core drugs” and that maybe she wouldn't have done many of the things she had done in life if she weren't hooked on drugs.
Cynthia Estes-Deremer is charged with the same offenses as Deremer: first-degree murder, first-degree arson, two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, second-degree theft and tampering with physical evidence. Her trial is set for Nov. 14, but is likely to be postponed.
The state expects to rest its case against Richard Deremer on Wednesday, according to Palmer Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Powell.
The defense plans to show that another man committed the crime, according to John Murtagh, Richard Deremer's attorney.
Contact Mary Ames at
352-2284 or mary.ames@
frontiersman.com.
Comments
25 comment(s)anita wrote on Mar 7, 2009 4:08 PM:
you have the right to judge? u must not have a life, or anyone in your family who have had altercations in their youth that made them grow up, and furthermore, the thing that matters, is, if they turn out to be useful good members of society, right? are u perfect? exactly! "
Gerry Ardo wrote on Nov 15, 2008 1:59 PM:
jill wrote on Nov 5, 2008 6:15 AM:
LMAO wrote on Oct 28, 2008 9:04 PM:
The Truth wrote on Oct 5, 2008 11:48 AM:
Michigan Lady wrote on Oct 5, 2008 8:48 AM:
Michiganvoter wrote on Oct 1, 2008 5:53 PM:
Marci Bereu wrote on Sep 24, 2008 3:25 PM:
The report is true, including going into the army to avoid jail. I'm sure strings can be pulled for kids of VIP parents. "
Steve McAdam wrote on Sep 16, 2008 4:19 PM:
California Gal wrote on Sep 16, 2008 3:23 PM:
Doug Polcin wrote on Sep 14, 2008 9:49 AM:
Will wrote on Sep 13, 2008 6:31 PM:
Log Dog wrote on Sep 11, 2008 2:27 PM:
Fran wrote on Sep 11, 2008 12:32 PM:
DEMSWRONG wrote on Sep 10, 2008 4:15 PM:
Rock Roll wrote on Sep 9, 2008 9:42 AM:
wes wrote on Sep 8, 2008 8:08 AM:
Jay wrote on Sep 6, 2008 4:58 PM:
Sue wrote on Sep 6, 2008 1:14 AM:
Foobar wrote on Sep 5, 2008 2:59 PM:
The entire Palin family is like a well-dressed episode of Jerry Springer. "
MrUniteUs wrote on Sep 5, 2008 5:31 AM:
Was Sarah Palin's son "Track Palin" arrested for vandalism ... Most recently there is discussion that Track Palin, then 16, was one of the 3 boys arrested for vandalizing 44 Mat-Su school buses - an incident that forced ...
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080904193702AAGlSCL - "
aklocal wrote on Sep 2, 2008 8:07 PM:
Destyne Pope wrote on Feb 12, 2008 4:20 AM:
vacation wrote on Jan 30, 2008 12:39 PM:
Thank you! "
Nyakeh Sam Suale wrote on Nov 14, 2007 10:59 AM: