Second man dies from injuries in Montana Creek murder-suicide

TALKEETNA — A man who killed another man, then called Palmer Police to tell them about it April 18 has succumbed to self-inflicted injuries, authorities said.

Billy Kidd, 57, of Willow was seriously wounded at the same scene and was transported to an Anchorage hospital for treatment, where he died Wednesday evening, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Troopers discovered Andre LaFrance, 33, of Wasilla, dead from a gunshot wound in a Montana Creek area residence about 1 a.m., April 18. Troopers released LaFrance’s identity the day after the shooting.

Authorities also found two small dogs dead of gunshot wounds at the scene of the shooting, according to Troopers spokesperson Beth Ipsen. An undisclosed number of other dogs living at the location were uninjured, Ipsen said.

LaFrance’s next-of-kin had been notified, Ipsen said.

Rumors had swirled through the town in the wake of the shooting, mostly surrounding what role, if any, the dogs had played in the incident that left two men dead.

Since both witnesses died, troopers may never know the circumstances that led to the shooting, Ipsen said.

“As far as investigators can tell, there were no other witnesses,” she said.

The surviving victim apparently called the Palmer Police Department early the morning of April 18 and told dispatchers he killed someone, and they would need to come and see for themselves, according to dispatches. It was only after the cellphone service provider shared a location for the phone that troopers were able to identify the scene where the shooting took place, according to troopers.

Authorities charged LaFrance with attempted murder in 2011 for his part in a notorious Mat-Su Pretrial incident, in which LaFrance spit in the face of a Department of Corrections official who was attempting to prevent him from committing suicide, according to the Frontiersman archives.

At that time, authorities initially charged LaFrance with attempted murder on the grounds that he knew he was infected with Hepatitis C, a lifelong and potentially fatal viral infection, according to the archives. Those charges were eventually downgraded to third- and fourth-degree assault and a single misdemeanor count of first-degree harassment by contact with offensive bodily fluids, court documents show.

LaFrance eventually pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor count in exchange for the dismissal of the two assault charges, court documents show.

His most recent appearance in Palmer Superior Court was in February 2013, when he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree theft, according to court records. Prosecutors dismissed seven counts of first-degree forgery, and one count each of fraudulent use of an access device and evidence tampering.

Kidd had a single felony conviction for fourth-degree drugs misconduct dating to 2001, court records show. The conviction was set aside after a suspended imposition of sentence. Prosecutors dismissed three other charges filed against Kidd, including an additional drugs misconduct charge for an inappropriate number of marijuana plants, and a charge of using a vehicle or building to distribute drugs.

The Talkeetna-area troopers post is slated for closure later this year because of budget constraints.

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