Kidnapping, other charges added in Butte shooting

PALMER — A grand jury indictment has added new charges in a Butte murder case, court documents show.

Benjamin Wilson, 31, of Butte, now faces a single charge of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, one count of manslaughter, one count of kidnapping, and two counts of coercion stemming from the Nov. 7 shooting death of Leticia Faller, 28. Wilson had previously been charged with first-degree murder and third-degree assault prior to the grand jury proceedings.

Troopers found Faller laying on the ground outside a Butte convenience store about 10 p.m. after two separate 911 calls, one in which a man told dispatchers he was “totally beyond help,” and another telling them that a woman had been shot outside the store. She was transported via helicopter to an Anchorage hospital, where she later died, troopers have said.

While the latest indictment contains multiple murder counts, those counts are a result of Alaska legal procedures, which requires prosecutors to charge every possible theory of a crime. Only a single murder is alleged to have taken place.

A series of text messages between the victim and a contact listed as Big Ben showed what could be interpreted as threats, authorities said. In addition, Faller signed health privacy and education rights for her daughter over to her sister, according to the affidavit.

With the issuance of the grand jury indictment, Wilson’s case has now been transferred to superior court, documents show.

The kidnapping charge apparently stems from Wilson’s holding of Faller’s, 26-year-old boyfriend, who was present at the scene of the shooting, according to Alaska State Troopers. The boyfriend was the apparent subject of some messages between Big Ben and Faller earlier in the day, according to the affidavit. The boyfriend also told troopers Wilson had pointed a gun at him shortly after shooting Faller, according to the affidavit.

Faller’s Facebook page indicated Monday that she and her boyfriend had first met in 2010 at the Butte Café. The Café shares a building with the Green Store outside of which Faller was found, meaning she was discovered at most a few feet from where the couple first met.

The Facebook event showing the meeting had been altered to remove the boyfriend’s name by Friday afternoon.

Wilson and her boyfriend visited Faller’s father’s house earlier in the day, and had been asked to leave, according to the indictment. The boyfriend left Wilson’s truck shortly before Faller entered, allegedly with a knife.

The affidavit also indicates Faller and Wilson engaged in occasional sex during the time Faller and her boyfriend were dating.

Wilson remained in Mat-Su Pretrial Saturday afternoon on $250,000 bail with court-appointed third–party requirements. His Superior Court arraignment was set for 3:30 p.m. Monday, court documents show.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com