Plea entered in murder case

PALMER — A superior court judge entered a not guilty plea Monday on behalf of a man accused of murdering his foster mother.

Kenneth D. Adams, 19, of Wasilla, had previously been arraigned in district court on charges of murder in the second degree and attempted murder in the first degree. Adams’s full slate of charges now reads: murder in the first degree, attempted murder in the first degree, arson in the second degree, two counts of murder in the second degree and assault in the first degree.

Alaska legal practice requires prosecutors to charge all possible theories prior to trial in order for a jury to be able to convict a person of, say, second-degree murder instead of first-degree. If a defendant is convicted of first-degree murder, he is also automatically convicted of the second-degree charged leveled for the same criminal act, but those two charges then merge into one at sentencing.

Adams stabbed his foster mother, Mollie Ragonesi, 66, and house guest Daniel Ramsey, 57, during an altercation in their residence July 21 after trying to set fire to the house, according to Alaska State Trooper affidavits. Ragonesi called 911 from their house’s kitchen and spoke briefly with dispatchers before later being discovered dead on the floor of the kitchen, according to the same affidavit.

The district court arraignment was interrupted by several outbursts audible in the courtroom from Mat-Su Pre-Trial via closed circuit television.

Monday’s arraignment was more subdued.

The only thing other than “yes,” “no” and “your honor” Adams said during Monday’s arraignment was after presiding Judge Vanessa White introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you Judge White,” he said.

“Nice to meet you, too,” she responded.

White alluded to Adams’ earlier remarks while informing him of his rights.

“It’s very important, Mr. Adams that you don’t just sort of blurt things out in court,” she said. “Everything that happens in court is recorded, and you don’t want to say anything and have it come back later and bite you.”

Office of Public Advocacy attorney Lyle Stohler will represent Adams’s defense, though Assistant Public Advocate Paul Maslakowski was present instead at Monday’s hearing.

If convicted, Adams faces up to 212 years in prison, depending on sentencing.

Adams is listed as a respondent in a guardianship/conservatorship hearing, and was represented in part by a contracted legal guardian at his district court arraignment.

Adams is presently held in Cook Inlet Pre-Trial on a $500,000 bond with third-party custody requirements.

His trial date was tentatively set for Nov. 19, though White told Adams it was likely that would be moved back to accommodate discovery — the evidence trading and evaluation attorneys go through in the run-up to trial. Adams’s next court appearance will be a Sept. 2 pre-trial conference hearing.

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