Jury sees graphic images of Grunwald’s body, interrogation of Almandinger

PALMER—The second week of Erick Almandinger’s murder trial is over and will resume this coming Tuesday. Almandinger is the first of four teens to face trial after murdering fellow teen, David Grunwald.

Almandinger, Dominic Johnson, Bradley Perrigin-Renfro, and Austin Barrett are accused of kidnapping and murder. Almandinger’s “gangster role model” Devin Peterson is scheduled to be sentenced in August on charges for hiding the two guns connected to the crime and provided gas cans used to burn Grunwald’s Ford Bronco.

The week that was saw a lot of witness testimonies and evidence revealed, including graphic images of Grunwald’s body, tattered with what has been described as “defensive injuries.”

Ben and Edie Grunwald had to take a break while the graphic images of their son were shown to the jury and countless eyes across the state, thanks to media efforts like live streaming.

Kenneth Gallagher, a state medical examiner testified in court on Friday, May 26, to answer questions and explain his findings after Grunwald’s body was recovered in Dec. 2016.

Gallagher testified that toxicology results revealed "a little bit of marijuana” in Grunwald's system. He immediately found “injuries of note” to Grunwald’s head and extremities. Based on the nature of the injuries, Gallagher stated that Grunwald went through a struggle, trying to defend himself with his arms and hands, leaving him with several scattered abrasions and contusions.

It was apparent from the testimony and evidence — unchallenged by the defense — that Grunwald was beaten severely and shot once, leaving an exit wound out through the back of his head. Based on Gallagher’s findings and testimony detailing the “external beveling” of the skull, it seems that Grunwald was shot while looking directly at the assailant Nov. 13, 2016.

On the seventh day of trial, the jury viewed Almandinger’s interview at the Palmer Post after Grunwald’s body was found. Lead investigator for the Grunwald homicide case, Tony Wegrzyn sat in a room and questioned Almandinger with the assistance of the teen’s grandmother, Myler.

“This is where he died; was in the Butte?” Myler asked her grandson.

Myler sounded concerned, agitated, and baffled at varying intervals. She asked a majority of the questions with Wegrzyn for a large portion of the interview.

During the video, Almandinger strained to admit that he actually was there while Grunwald was beaten, drove to the Butte and shot; only in his version, he was going along with it, but that he was not the killer.

Almandinger’s story changed several times and he attempted to amend it. Wegrzyn peppered Almandinger with a back-and-forth combination of accusing him of pulling the trigger and calling him a “scared little kid” who needs to cooperate so they can find out what really happened. The group took a bloody and battered Grunwald to his Bronco and asked him which key to use to start it, Almandinger said.

He admitted that he was present for the beating, execution, and evidence tampering, taking part in the burning Grunwald’s Bronco after. He said that there were five people in the Bronco, including himself.

He said that Dominic was the one driving the Bronco and the one who forcibly took Grunwald through the woods and shot him directly in the face. Last week, the defense claimed that Barrett was the shooter, connecting him to a gold watch stolen from Johnson’s home.

“Dom’s holding him by the shirt, making him walk over. And then, as soon as he looks up — bam!” he said, making the sound of a gun with an almost whisper. “He just drops.”

“You’re a good kid who thinks he’s a bad ass who isn’t. You’re a scared little kid,” Wegrzyn said. “You should never play poker. The good news is, the reason you’re a terrible liar is because you have a conscience. You feel bad about this,” Wegrzyn said.

“I feel bad that it happened, but I don’t feel bad about — if you’re asking if I feel bad about doing it? Then the answer would be no, because I didn’t,” Almandinger said.

When Myler wasn’t holding her grandson’s hands, she would gasp and stammered over herself. She consoled her grandson then yelled at him and pondered loudly about the incident and aftermath. Myler asked him why he didn’t do something different; why he didn’t tell someone like his dad to stop it. She asked him why he didn’t come forward.

“I can’t believe you’re not crying or going crazy, knowing you’ve seen somebody die,” Myler said. “You left for 2 days after doing this? Why?”

Almandinger said that he was “scared” and he would be killed if he didn’t go along with everything.

“I’ll tell you why he didn’t come forward, because he’s the one who killed David,” Wegrzyn said.

“They say they’ve got proof,” Myler exclaimed.

That’s when Almandinger started to crack. He became increasingly agitated and began to cry.

“This is what we want to see when they first were asking you — emotion. Do not get cold and hard like a f------g Dixon,” Myler said, referring to his mother’s side of the family. “You don’t want to go there.”

“I already know I don’t want to go there,” Almandinger said with his voice cracking.

He sobbed harder and said to Myler, “I promise you with everything in this f-----g world, I did not do it.”

“He’s on the verge of telling the truth,” Wegrzyn said. “Anything but full disclosure, doesn’t count. I think I know the reason, it’s partially Devin [Peterson].”

Myler’s whole demeanor flipped.

“Are you talking about the one called the nig?” Myler asked.

She gasped, scrunched her face with disgust, clenched her fists and growled, “he’s evil!”

Wegrzyn asked Almandinger about his friendship with Peterson.

“I’d do anything for him,” Almandinger sobbed. “I’m the only person he’d ever live with. I’m his first best friend. I’m the only reason he was a part of any of the people we’re friends with.”

Wegrzyn said that Almandinger knew in his “heart of hearts, it would impress him” and he went to him for help after Grunwald was dead and they had the Bronco to get rid of.

“I didn’t tell him anything. I don’t remember. I was just happy to see him because we hadn’t hung out a while,” Almandinger said.

Peterson admitted in federal court last week that he did, in fact, provide two gas cans to Almandinger and the other teens.

Wegrzyn said this was Almandinger’s chance to “come clean.”

“I went back and corrected some things,” Almandinger said.

“You left out quite a bit,” Wegrzyn said. “Most importantly, left out that you were responsible for it…. “You know that I know?”

“What?” Almandinger asked.

“Everything!” Myler exclaimed.

Almandinger and the group went to Peterson’s house after Grunwald died.

“[Peterson] He’s so pissed. He was not okay with it. We asked him what to do… He said we’re all stupid as f--- and he was not okay with it… So I was like we could probably just burn it,” Almandinger said.

“So it was your idea?” Wegrzyn asked.

“I don’t know if was fully my idea but I was on board with it,” Almandinger said.

After filling up at the Holiday gas station at mile 49 towards Knik, the boys headed up Knik River Road and drove off the road into the woods and torched the Bronco.

“I watched the flames like, attack my face,” Almandinger said.

Almandinger also admitted to bleaching the camper where Grunwald was beaten.

“I never thought my child was a part of something like that,” Myler said.

She asked where they came up with that idea.

“It wasn’t come up with, it was just went along with,” Almandinger said.

“Why would you even go along with it? That’s not even nice,” Myler asked.

“They would have just killed me if I didn’t go along with it,” Almandinger said.

She held Almandinger’s hands.

“Scared doesn’t help; what did I tell you? That I’d do anything… Mothers fight for their kids; it doesn’t matter what happened — they fight,” Myler said.

“You’re telling me that’s what your group of friends did?”

So why?!” Myler asked after a prolonged silence.

Wegrzyn said that he had to explain to Grunwald’s parents why there son wouldn’t be coming home.

“Give me a reason why he needed to die that night, please!” he said.

Almandinger gave no answer.

Eventually, Almandinger’s mother entered the room and hugged her son. This caused him to sob hard, his voice muffled in her embrace.

“Sssshhhhhh, I know baby,” Chrystal said.

She propped him up back up and looked at him.

“I need you to pull it together, that’s what I need,” she said. “This is the moment where you get to choose what the rest looks like.”

Chrystal talked softly to her son. She said that she’d done jury duty a couple of times.

“These guys don’t just to come tell their story and it all works out and everyone believes it. And if your story doesn’t match their story, well, then they win; it’s not like that,” Chrystal explained. “Because they don’t win by stories… so whoever pulls out the evidence wins.”