The trial of 59-year-old Arvin Kangas opened with accounts of the fatal shooting of two Alaska State Troopers in the remote Yukon River village of Tanana.
The Fairbanks News-Miner reports that the trial began Thursday. Kangas is accused of tampering with evidence by unholstering and moving the troopers’ guns after their deaths and disposing of marijuana plants.
Kangas’ 21-year-old son, Nathanial Kangas, is awaiting trial on murder charges for the shooting of trooper Gabe Rich and Sgt. Scott Johnson.
The assistant attorney general said the troopers were planning to arrest the elder Kangas for threatening a public safety officer.
Arvin Kangas’ wife testified she was in a separate room during the shootings and feared being shot herself.
She said she later saw Arvin Kangas wearing a glove and holding a trooper’s handgun.
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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com
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