Last updated at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 26
More than five months after the public heard James Dale Ritchie’s name, the Anchorage Police Department confirmed Wednesday that he was responsible for the murders of five people in the summer of 2016.
In November, Ritchie was killed in a downtown Anchorage shootout with police, following his solo attack against APD officer Arn Salao. It was a chance encounter that connected police to two double-homicides, on Post Road and in Valley of the Moon Park, and another on Bolin Street.
The series of slayings took course of most of last summer and put community members, particularly those using the trail system, on high alert.
In a release from department spokesperson Renee Oistad, she said homicide detectives “have established sufficient probable cause to conclude that Ritchie was responsible for” the deaths of Brianna Foisy, 20, Jason Netter Sr., 41, Treyveonkindell Thompson, 19, Kevin Turner, 34, and Bryant “Brie” DeHusson, 25.
Brianna Foisy, Jason Netter, Treyveonkindell Thompson, Brie De Husson and Kevin Turner – all killed with a Colt .357 Python revolver. (Photos courtesy of friends and family)
“Homicide detectives were able to establish Ritchie possessed the .357 Colt Python before any of the killings and that he acted alone,” Oistad said. “All of the investigations related to James Dale Ritchie are now closed. The conclusion of these cases could not have happened without the help of the public and other law enforcement agencies like the Alaska State Troopers and the FBI.”
Both the APD and the FBI have declined to answer any further questions regarding the case.
In a message to KTVA, Brie De Hussen’s father, Gordon De Hussen, said police detectives had been “very confident and supportive” throughout the investigation.
The following timeline, created in November, details the five homicides linked to the same Colt Python .357 revolver which was found on Ritchie after his shootout with police.
This is a developing story; please check back for updates. We’ll have complete coverage on KTVA 11 News tonight at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
This story was updated at 10:58 a.m. to correct the age of Treyveonkindell Thompson.
The post APD confirms James Dale Ritchie as killer in 5 Anchorage murders appeared first on KTVA 11.
