Teen murder co-defendant reaches plea deal

PALMER — A Palmer teen who once faced murder charges has seen those charges dismissed as part of a sentencing agreement, and could face anywhere from zero to two years in jail.

Ethan Angasan, 17, had faced charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, evidence tampering, and criminally negligent homicide. As a result of a plea entered Tuesday in the Palmer Superior Court, the more serious felony charges have been dismissed, leaving only the evidence tampering charge, a Class C felony. Angasan had been charged for his alleged role in the murder of Frank Pushruk.

Angasan was released Tuesday on a $10,000 unsecured bond, meaning he will have to pay that amount if he fails to show up for a court date, and does not have to pay any portion of that to the court in advance. Angasan also signed a waiver of extradition, meaning if he leaves the state and is later taken into custody, he can be returned to the state without a court hearing. His fingerprints will be taken at his sentencing.

Prosecutor John Perry, Office of Public Advocacy attorney Kimberly Tsaousis, and presiding judge Vanessa White discussed large portions of the change-of-plea hearing — including some details of Angasan’s sentencing agreement — in confidence.

Angasan also agreed to an open sentencing, meaning it will be White’s discretion how much jail time — if any — Angasan ultimately receives.

Perry declined to say afterward whether the more serious charges had been dropped in exchange for an agreement to testify against co-defendant Jacob A. “Riddles” Dvorak, or how Angasan’s case connected with Dovrak’s.

“I want to wait, before making any comment, until that (Dvorak’s) case,” he said. “Because he (Angasan) obviously hasn’t been sentenced yet, and that (Dvorak’s) case is still pending.”

A trial call in Dvorak’s case is set for Feb. 29, 2016, though trial call dates are frequently postponed as either side works to build a case. He stands accused of first- and second-degree murder for allegedly shooting Pushruk over a supposed sexual assault prior to the shooting. According to charging documents, on March 12, 2014, Dvorak shot Pushruk three times with a stolen .45-caliber handgun and dumped his body off a Matanuska River scenic overlook along the Glenn Highway just north of Palmer.

In Dvorak’s indictment, a teen identified only as “E.A.” discussed retaliation with Dvorak, but said he told Dvorak they should only beat Pushruk.

In court Tuesday, Angasan sported a ponytail and answered only “yes” and “no” to questions put to him by White. He’s been held on $20,000 bail since being arrested about a year ago.

Angasan’s confidential pre-sentencing report, a document listing numerous potential mitigating and aggravating factors, is due by Feb. 8. His sentencing has been set for March 24, 2016 at 3:30 p.m.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.