Wasilla man charged with attempted murder after incident at cemetery

PALMER — A Wasilla man is in custody facing an attempted murder charge after Alaska State Troopers say he assaulted and choked a woman unconscious in a Palmer area cemetery early Sunday morning.

According to troopers, a woman was ringing a doorbell, “screaming that someone was trying to kill her,” shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday. During the initial investigation, the woman, frantic and injured, said she was with a man in a cemetery on the Old Glenn Highway. Troopers report the woman said Jeremy Matthew Bendt, 29, attacked her with a knife and assaulted her, striking her in the face. The woman also reported Bendt, “strangled her to the point where she lost consciousness,” according to troopers.

Following the incident, Bendt allegedly stole the woman’s keys and her vehicle, according to the report. Bendt was taken into custody later Sunday, and remained at Mat-Su Pretrial as of late Tuesday night.

Bendt has been charged with attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree and vehicle theft in the first degree.

Bendt was arraigned Tuesday afternoon at the Palmer Courthouse. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 2 at 1 p.m.

This is not the first time this month that Bendt has spent time in a Palmer courtroom. According to online court records, Bendt also made an appearance on July 12, facing four charges stemming from a July 11 domestic violence incident. Those charges include assault in the fourth degree, interference with a domestic violence case, criminal mischief and resisting arrest. A fifth charge, assault in the third degree, was added July 19.

Bendt was released on bail after the incident earlier this month.

This is a developing story. See the Friday edition of frontiersman.com for more.

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