Trial begins for out-of-state burglar brothers

PALMER — Prosecutors wove a backwoods story of gunfire and thievery for jurors at the start of a trial Friday for two brothers accused of cutting a destructive swath through Skwentna in 2010.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Perry said that in the initial stages of the investigation that led to the arrest of Jeffery Indellicati, 26, of New Jersey, and Benjamin Cross, 24, of Florida, Alaska State Troopers didn’t know who they were looking for or where they were staying. They had trouble accessing the area at that time of year — it was breakup, when ice was too soft to support landing a plane on skis and there’s little open water suitable for floats. Troopers used a helicopter to investigate.

“Every cabin they go to has been broken into and vandalized to a certain degree,” Perry said.

Eventually, troopers learned from a landowner in the area who had heard from his neighbors about the burglary. He said he thought the people committing the crimes might be two people he’d rented his cabin to — Indellicati and Cross.

After Perry spoke, Michael Horowitz, who is representing Cross at trial, reminded jurors of their oath to come to a conclusion as to guilt or innocence only after hearing all the witnesses, seeing all the photos and reading all the documents.

“We chose you because you said you could keep an open mind,” Horowitz told the jury. And, despite Perry’s presentation on what he thinks the evidence will eventually prove, “As of now, no evidence has been presented.”

Rex Butler, who is representing Indellicati, elected to reserve his opening statement and give it later on in the trial.

Back to Perry’s narrative: After getting the tip from the cabin owner, troopers flew, hiked and canoed to the cabin. A lot of the cabins they’d previously found burglarized had bullet holes in them. This one was no exception. Outside, more than one tree had been shot so many times it had fallen over.

Once there, troopers shouted for the people inside the cabin to come out.

“Some things are yelled from inside the cabin,” Perry said, artfully.

According to court filings, the two referred to themselves as “Clyde and Clyde” rather than Bonnie and Clyde, and said they’d come out unarmed if troopers provided them with marijuana. Eventually they gave up and were taken into custody.

“They tell the troopers this is going to be the biggest case of your career. Good job,” Perry said.

Inside the cabin was a cache of stolen guns. The pair is also accused of stealing four-wheelers and numerous other items.

Shortly after the pair was arrested, they gave a jailhouse interview to a website that reported they had been on a cross-country romp that included stops in tropical locals before their Alaska adventure.

Troopers said each was wanted on warrants out of his respective home state.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.