Man behind Helo’s death found guilty of killing the K-9 and attempted murder of police officers

PALMER — The trial of accused dog cop killer Almando Abarcahas come to an end. On Wednesday, a Palmer jury found Abarca guilty of multiple charges, including two counts of assault in the third degree, one count of harming a police dog, one count of failure to stop at the direction of a police officer, and two counts of attempted murder.

It’s been well over a year since Abarca’s fateful encounter with local law enforcement that ended with the death of Alaska State Trooper (AST) K-9 officer Helo, a Belgian Malinois. Helo was the first AST K-9 officer to die while on duty.

On Sept. 25, 2016, Palmer Police Patrol Sergeant, Luke Szipszky attempted to pull Abarca over because his taillight was out. Abarca evaded Szipszky and took him on a high speed chase through Palmer, rushing through stop signs and reaching speeds of over 90 mph. Szipszky called for backup. Among the responding officers was Trooper Christopher Havens, Helo’s partner of three and a half years. He and accompanying officers joined Szipszky in pursuit down the Old Glen Highway. Abarca took to a side road near the Palmer-Wasilla interchange around 5:30 a.m. Abarca stumbled out of the vehicle and took off into the woods toward an old, abandoned house.

Havens deployed Helo to apprehend Abarca, who in turn, deployed his pistol. He showered the dog with bullets and continued his fire in the direction of Havens and his fellow responding officers. Police returned fire and hit Abarca in the shoulder. The man was subdued but so was Helo, sustaining much more grave injuries. After being rushed to Far Country Animal Hospital, the K-9 officer succumbed to his injuries and died that night. During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Shawn Traini asked Havens about his relationship with Helo. Havens said that each night, the dog would come home with him to his family. The two spent many hours together, on and off duty.

According to a press release from the Attorney General’s office, Abarca will be sentenced on May 29, 2018. The state is looking at a sentencing range of 1-4 years for assault, harming a police dog and failure to stop, and 5-99 years for attempted murder.