Police: Murder suspects say they shot in self-defense

PALMER — Two Palmer men remain jailed on lieu of $200,000 bail in the May 14 killing of an Anchorage man.

Both 38-year old Robert Barker and 35-year old Joed Weyand are charged with one count of first-degree murder of 26-year old Jeremie Speaker. Both men appeared before Palmer Magistrate Craig Condie via teleconference from the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility Wednesday afternoon. Both men were arrested around 6 p.m. Tuesday at downtown Palmer’s Eagle Hotel.

According to a court-filed affidavit filed by Alaska State Trooper (AST) Investigator Jason Fieser, Speaker’s body was discovered at mile 4.8 of Knik River Road around 2 p.m. Sunday. Fieser stated that AST had received a phone call from two individuals informing police they had discovered a body at that location. Fieser stated troopers arrived and found the body—later identified by the State Medical Examiner’s (SME) office using fingerprints—as Speaker, near two burned vehicles.

The affidavit stated just after 1:15 that morning, Butte Fire Department responded to the same location to extinguish a two-vehicle fire in a camping area just off the highway. Through dispatch notes, police learned Speaker was the driver of one of them. Fieser stated the second vehicle was found down an embankment and had two burned shotguns and a burned revolver in the backseat.

In the affidavit, Fieser said an examination of Speaker’s body revealed what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his right temple, two wounds in the right-rib area, right buttock, lower stomach, left shoulder and right little finger. Police also found miscellaneous .22 and .40 caliber casings around the scene. Fieser also stated Speaker had a shoe print on his right rib area. The body had no personal belongings.

The affidavit stated both Barker and Speaker were staying at the Eagle Hotel while Weyand resided in the Butte area. Police utilized several cooperating sources (CS), and seized video feeds from several Palmer-area businesses, in addition to obtaining several search warrants during the investigation. One of the warrants was to search Barker’s hotel room. There, police found a Glock .40, a .22 caliber handgun, .17 caliber rifle, a Mossberg shotgun and various ammunition of the same caliber. According to the affidavit, all the firearms were reported stolen in separate incidents in the Valley and Anchorage. It also stated the handguns were loaded with ammunition consistent with those found at the murder scene.

According to the SME autopsy, Speaker’s body had eight wounds consistent with bullet wounds. Two lead bullets seized from the body suggested they were .40-.45 caliber and consistent with .45 Colt bullets. The report stated Speaker had smoke inhalation in his lungs and throat indicating the bullet wound to the head wasn’t fatal. The autopsy stated the likely fatal shot was to Speaker’s heart. The SME report noted it appeared by the wounds, that Speaker was most like moving or hunched over when he received several bullet wounds.

During the investigation, one of the CS’s informed police that both Weyand and Barker threatened to pin Speaker’s death on him and that he felt endangered by the men. The affidavit stated one CS allowed troopers access to his vehicle in which both suspects had been occupants, apparently after Speaker’s murder. Technicians discovered blood on a backseat blanket, driver’s side rear seat area on the metal surrounding the bottom of the door area, and outside the same side of the vehicle above the rear tire.

According to the affidavit, Weyand told investigators he killed Speaker because he feared for his life. Weyand told police the two men were in the same vehicle heading down Knik River Road and because he was hesitant about Speaker, had Barker follow them in the second vehicle found burned at the crime scene. Weyand said at one point, Speaker reached for a handgun lying on the seat between them. Investigators state that Weyand also reached for the gun and after a slight struggle, he shot Speaker.

“(Weyand) could hear (Speaker) ‘gurgling’ and shot him more times. (Weyand) remember(sic) shooting (Speaker) in the head,” Fieser wrote in his affidavit and went on to say, “(Weyand) retrieved a gas jug from the bed of the pickup (and) walked around to the driver’s side and shot (Speaker) more times with the .45 Highpoint. (Weyand) splashed gas on (Speaker) and the front seat and lit the pickup on fire.”

Fieser stated Weyand told investigators he was defending his life when he shot Speaker. According to the affidavit, Weyand told police he had been using methamphetamine and had gone three days without sleep. He said he may have been paranoid about Speaker’s motives.

The document stated Barker told investigators he followed Weyand and Speaker “to make sure nothing happened.” Barker said he saw a flash from inside the pickup and immediately attempted to turn around, driving down an embankment in the process. Barker said he didn’t report the incident to authorities because he didn’t want to see Weyand, one of the CS’s, or anyone get into trouble.

The arrests were a result of a coordinated investigative effort from Palmer-based Alaska Bureau of Investigation (ABI), AST Special Crimes Investigation Unit (SCIU), along with crime scene technicians from ABI's scientific crime detection laboratory. During his arraignment, Weyand stated he shot Speaker in self-defense and offered the following comments to the court reacting to the prosecutor’s no-bail request.

"Your honor, if I was a flight risk, I would have gotten on a plane as soon as I got out of jail in Anchorage," Weyand said. "What was that … Monday?"

According to state court documents, Weyand was jailed on an unrelated probation violation out of Anchorage and released the same day. Documents also show Weyand’s past convictions include resisting arrest, DUI and assault. Barker, who was much more reserved, has several misdemeanor convictions.

Both men are expected back in court May 30, 1 p.m.