Date for murder trial in limbo

PALMER — Frank Adams may go to trial for murder as early as February, but possibly as late as March.

Adams was stopped on the Glenn Highway in July 2007, and Alaska State Troopers found the body of Stacey Johnston, 42, in the trunk of his red Suzuki hatchback.

As of Monday, Adams had been set to start trial Feb. 17 in Palmer on charges of murder, manslaughter and tampering with evidence.

One complication is that his attorney, Scott Sterling, who got the case in September after Paul Maslakowski dropped out, is tied up on three other murder trials — two in Anchorage and one in Bethel — and isn’t sure his calendar will be cleared in time to make the February trial date.

“Essentially, I am pretty steadily or thoroughly obligated with murder trials from now until the end of March,” Sterling said. “I have barely had time to meet with Mr. Adams.”

Monday, Assistant District Attorney Rachel Gernat said she opposed delaying the trial until April as Sterling proposed.

“The victims have just as much a right to a speedy trial as the defendant,” Gernat said.

Superior Court Judge Beverly Cutler talked with Sterling about which trials were clogging his schedule then took note that all three appeared to have entered the justice system after Adams’ case.

“If the criminal justice system makes sense we should try the oldest one first. And the victims are entitled to that,” Cutler said.

And, she noted, her calendar is generally much less flexible than her Superior Court colleagues in Anchorage.

“I think we could work harder to get this to go in February than to just collapse and say we can’t do it,” Cutler said.

Eventually, she agreed to allow Gernat time to talk with the Anchorage prosecutor in one of Sterling’s other murder trials before making a decision. The matter was rescheduled for 1 p.m. today.

According to police reports at the time, Palmer police tried to stop Adams, 46, on suspicion of drunk driving after receiving a report he was leaving the Glacier View Tesoro on July 28, 2007.

According to police, a chase proceeded to the Glenn Highway and toward Anchorage. At the Birchwood Exit, Anchorage police and troopers deflated Adams’ tires with Stop Sticks and Adams drove into the median.

That’s when officers found Johnston, 42. Trooper reports from the time say Johnston likely died someplace north of Palmer.

According to court records, Adams and Johnston had a history of domestic violence, with Johnston filing for a protective order against Adams in May 2007. Adams broke that protective order about a month before Johnston wound up in the trunk of his car, court records show.

Johnston leveled a similar complaint against another man in December of 2007. Records also show numerous domestic violence charges against Johnston relating to relationships with other men.

Adams was eventually charged in Palmer with murder and tampering with physical evidence. If convicted, he faces up to 99 years in prison.

In Anchorage, he faces a separate case dealing with his run from the law. Charges there include drunken driving, failing to stop for police, resisting arrest and reckless driving.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.