News

Man charged with murdering his neighbor

Frontiersman Archive Oct 2, 2011

Dawn Syers sits on the steps in front of her home holding a
picture of her fiance Dale Prater. Prater, who turned 45 in August,
was gunned down Saturday night at a neighbor's home inside the — Dawn Syers sits on the steps in front of her home holding a picture of her fiance Dale Prater. Prater, who turned 45 in August, was gunned down Saturday night at a neighbor's home inside the 4-plex where he lived. Prater and Syers were going to be married in LasVegas in October. (ROBERT DeBERRY/Frontiersman) Robert DeBerry

BY ANDREW WELLNER
Frontiersman

WASILLA — A 37-year-old man was jailed Saturday after police say he shot and killed his 45-year-old neighbor.

“On Oct. 1 at approximately (6:35 p.m.), Dale E. Prater, age (45), of Wasilla, died of an apparent gunshot wound in Wasilla. Phillip Bailey, age 37, of Wasilla, was arrested and charged with the death of Prater. The case is still under investigation,” reads the entirety of the police press release on the incident.

Court records Monday afternoon show Bailey was charged with a single count of murder. He’d already made one court appearance and is set for another on Oct. 12.

Dawn Syers lived with Prater in the white, two-story, four-plex on Fanciful Place with kids’ toys outside where he lived upstairs from Bailey. She said she and Prater were on the verge of flying to Las Vegas to be married on Halloween.