Seven indicted in Valentine's Day murder

August 21, 2005

KATE KELLY/Frontiersman reporter

The mysterious Valentine's Day shooting death of a 26-year-old Wasilla man has been partially solved with the 26-count indictment of seven men by a Palmer grand jury on Aug. 12.

The last of the defendants, Claude Hale, of Wasilla, surrendered to police Thursday in connection with the Feb. 14 slaying of Wasilla resident Jeremiah Butler and other assaults during a two-week crime spree that allegedly began with suspicions of marital infidelity and was fueled by methamphetamine use, according to investigators.

Hale, 24, is suspected of being the one who actually shot Butler, but before the indictment could be handed down Aug. 12, he was released from jail a month ago and eluded capture following time spent for violating his probation from a previous theft charge. He has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, misconduct involving a weapon and two counts of tampering with physical evidence.

Also in custody are:

€ Michael P. Bay Sr., 42, of Wasilla, on charges of first- and second-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, two counts of first-degree burglary, second-degree theft, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, second-degree misconduct involving a weapon, three counts of third-degree assault and tampering with evidence.

€ Michael P. Bay Jr., 22, of Wasilla, on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, third-degree assault, conspiracy to commit third-degree assault, two counts of first-degree burglary and second-degree theft.

€ Timothy D. Jones, 38, of Willow, on two counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault.

€ Scott A. Schaffer, 27, of Wasilla, on conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, two counts of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, three counts of third-degree assault, second-degree theft, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault and second-degree misconduct involving a weapon.

€ William E. Bogart, 26, of Peters Creek, on two counts of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, third-degree assault and first-degree burglary.

€ Louis Moon, 36, of Anchorage, on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, four counts of third-degree assault, two counts of first-degree burglary, first-degree vehicle theft, second-degree theft and two counts of third-degree misconduct involving a weapon.

The Bays were both arrested at their home Sunday morning on a $100,000 cash-only warrant and transported to Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility. Jones was arrested at his home last Friday on a $50,000 cash-only warrant and taken to MSPTF. All three are scheduled for a Nov. 14 jury trial in Palmer Superior Court, at 8:30 a.m. in Judge Eric Smith's courtroom.

Bogart turned himself in Wednesday to Soldotna troopers after reading about his charges in a newspaper. He is being held at the Wildwood Pre-Trial Facility in lieu of $50,000 cash. Moon was taken into custody Monday at his home by the Alaska Fugitive Task Force on a $100,000 cash warrant and transported to the Anchorage jail.

Schaffer was already incarcerated at Mat-Su Pre-Trial on unrelated drug charges, but was served with the $100,000 warrant Monday.

According to investigators, Jones accused Michael Plummer, 36, of Wasilla, of having an affair with his wife and hired Bogart and Schaffer to beat up Plummer on Feb. 2 at a home in Cottonwood Shores. Butler then allegedly came to Plummer's assistance, which angered the other men.

Plummer nearly died from the beatings, according to investigators. Nearly every bone in his face was broken.

On Feb. 12, Schaffer, the two Bay men, and Moon confronted and allegedly assaulted 34-year-old Tracy Comer, of Wasilla, in an effort to find Butler, but to no avail. The same group then returned to Plummer's house two days later to find Butler, assaulting Plummer again and shooting at him before going with Hale to another home to confront Butler.

After luring Butler to a cabin off Bogard Road occupied by Brandon Henry, Hale allegedly shot Butler in the torso during a physical tussle and Butler's body was then put in the front passenger seat of Butler's silver four-door pickup truck and parked along Barry's Resort Road.

Troopers found the vehicle and Butler's body that evening after responding to an abandoned-vehicle complaint. The cabin where Butler had been shot was then on fire from a suspected arson.

Butler's sister, Veronica Butler, said one week after the discovery of her brother's body that the family was devastated.

"It's hard to even accept," she said.