Two awaiting to stand trial in Grunwald murder case

PALMER — Dominic Johnson was convicted on all nine counts for which he was charged for his role in the murder of Palmer teen David Grunwald. Johnson’s trial took nearly four weeks after a contentious and drawn-out jury selection. Johnson was the second of four to be charged with the murder of Grunwald, and the second to be convicted on all counts, following Erick Almandinger.

The jury took less than one full day of deliberation to convict Johnson of Murder 1, Kidnapping, three counts of Murder 2, Tampering with Evidence, Assault 1, Vehicle Theft and Arson. Defense Attorney Lyle Stohler, who was the public defender for Johnson, tried everything within his power to cast doubt on the case that the State prosecution set out.

District Attorney Roman Kalytiak argued from the beginning that Johnson served as a catalyst for the actions that unfolded on November 13, 2016. Crucial evidence presented was cell phone data showing the location of the accused at the time of the crimes.

Alaska State Trooper Sergeant Tony Wegrzyn presented the murder weapon and the weapon used in the beating to the jury, calling on his years of expertise and millions of rounds fired both in training and while conducting training at the Alaska Department of Public Safety Academy in Sitka as a firearms instructor. Wegrzyn was key in presenting arguments against Johnson throughout the case as the lead investigator in the weeks after November 13. Of cell phone data used to incriminate Johnson, text messages sent the night of the murder proved to be the most damning. Kalytiak regularly brought up that Johnson specifically asked for Almandinger’s Ruger 4.0, referring to it as a ‘toolie.’ Stohler argued that his client, Johnson, could not have been at the scene of the murder because in the weeks following, he asked for the Springfield 9mm. Stohler argued that if he knew that the weapon was used in a murder, he would have wanted no part of it. The jury didn’t see it that way.

The revelation of the trial was a video recorded on snapchat that had been rumored to exist was never confirmed until late into the trial. Stohler contested that it could not submitted as evidence so late in the process, but it was allowed by Superior Court Judge Gregory Heath and possibly used as the final straw against Johnson. The video was recorded just hours before the murder, and features Johnson making statements about Grunwald, supposedly.

“Just to f****** hurt him,” Johnson says in the video.

Austin Barrett will be represented by Craig Howard. Bradley Renfro will be represented by Chris Provost. The pair will not see trial until their evidentiary hearing begins on March 4. The two will be tried together and are the last of the four to be charged with the murder of Grunwald.

Provost sat in the gallery during much of the Johnson trial and noted what strategies Stohler used to try and keep his client from being convicted, or at least, convicted on lesser charges. Stohler attempted to discredit the evidence presented by the prosecution and call into question their connections of the evidence to his client. While Stohler raised valid points, the jury took just over six hours to reach a verdict. Kalytiak has centered his evidence around the gang mentality of the group, relying on a plethora of photos and text messages to support his case.

Renfro was dating a minor at the time whom Kalytiak called to the stand as a key witness during many instances of the long and arduous Johnson trial. The group retreated to a shed on her property following the murder and arson. Barrett was mentioned by Kalytiak, in his opening arguments of the Johnson trial, as the one who pulled the trigger that killed Grunwald, but the state is choosing not to prosecute any of the four teens for a higher murder charge than the others, instead equally splitting the charges amongst them.

Johnson will enter a courtroom next on March 14 for a status hearing. Almandinger will face sentencing on March 20 and 21.