Alaska killer's suicide prompts action to dismiss charges
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A serial killer's recent suicide has prompted federal prosecutors to seek dismissal of charges in the slaying of an Alaska barista.
Prosecutors in Anchorage said in a motion filed this week that the indictment against Israel Keyes "is abated by his death" by law.
A federal magistrate recommends granting the motion and has forwarded it to the judge assigned to the case against Keyes, who confessed to the February murder of 18-year-old barista Samantha Koenig in Anchorage, as well as others across the country.
Keyes confessed to the 2011 murders of Bill and Lorraine Currier of Essex, Vt., and as many as five unnamed victims, four in Washington state and one on the East Coast, the body dumped in New York. Investigators believe there could be more victims as well.
Prosecutors in Anchorage said in a motion filed this week that the indictment against Israel Keyes "is abated by his death" by law.
A federal magistrate recommends granting the motion and has forwarded it to the judge assigned to the case against Keyes, who confessed to the February murder of 18-year-old barista Samantha Koenig in Anchorage, as well as others across the country.
Keyes confessed to the 2011 murders of Bill and Lorraine Currier of Essex, Vt., and as many as five unnamed victims, four in Washington state and one on the East Coast, the body dumped in New York. Investigators believe there could be more victims as well.
Why do we have to look at this @#%||'s face all the time??? Why not rather show a photo montage of his known victims? Who the heck are we trying to glorify here?
Amazing that so many hoops have to be jumped through at taxpayer expense to stop proceedings against a dead defendant who is beyond our mortal justice system.  Hopefully, this waste of money is included in the programs scheduled to go over the fiscal cliff.
Nice, Just saved the tax payers lots of money in legal and incarceration costs.
@Just a dude  Dude, he's dead. He did the tax payers a favor and committed suicide.Â
@ObsidianOne I believe that is exactly what Just a dude was implying.
@Surveyor1 Right on Surveyor...mis-read...thanks.
Well yeah, obviously. Doesn't make much sense to charge a dead guy with his cold corpse in the court room, does it? Wouldn't wanna be the cop escorting it in and out!
 @Zoso Well, we could lethal-inject the body, hang it by the neck and then fry it in an electric chair - but I cannot imagine what good it would do beyond settling a few people's angst and lust for vengeance....
What sort of "deterrent effect" can you develop with a guy who kills himself first? Same with the mall shooter, the theater shooter, etc....
 @Zoso ...and now the brain-defect school shooter...
 @JLS1950 Not to mention we'd still be paying for it.
don't know whether that has any effect on civil litigation against his estate, but maybe there is none anyways
Seems like "Well, duh" is appropriate.
What else are they going to do? Have a weekend at Bernie's style trial?
I have this overwhelming urge to shift that rug on his head forward, then a little to the left.  Anyone have some glue I can borrow?
Well, isn't this obvious? He's dead; why bother now?