Despite several setbacks and delays due to Covid19, the trial in the 1993 rape-murder of Sophie Sergie finally took place in the beginning of this year. I did not post daily updates but here is the verdict and my summary: Steven Downs faced first degree murder and first degree sexual assault. The jury found him guilty. […]
Alaska
Update Sophie Sergie Case
The Sun Journal notes that defendant Steven H. Downs will be allowed to present three alternative suspects in the 1993 rape-murder of Sophie Sergie. In previous posts, I have mentioned other suspects and what I saw as problematic for the defense. Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Thomas Temple’s order allows these three men to be brought […]
Sophie Sergie: cyber attacks
The pretrial evidence hearings in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie are delayed till further notice. Why? The Alaska court system’s cybersecurity has been breached. Nobody is safe from cyber attacks. About two weeks ago, the Alaska court system was forced offline. Without internet connection, no Zoom. Steven H. Downs, charged with Sophie Sergie’s murder, […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 8
On Tuesday, April 13, the pre-trial hearings continued in the 1993 rape-murder of Sophie Sergie. Both the Sun Journal and the Union Leader reported about a crucial piece of information: the bullet that caused her death. Again, the hearing was by video conference. Sophie Sergie was killed with a single bullet to the back of […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 7
On Monday, April 12, the hearings in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie continued by video conference. This time, the possibilities of alternative suspects were discussed, that is, suspects other than Steven H. Downs. I hinted in other posts that I wondered about phenotyping in this case, if it was done, and if Downs resembles […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 6
Central Maine reports that on Thursday, the hearings in the 1993 rape-murder of Sophie Sergie continued by video conference. Steven H. Downs attended. He is charged in this case. We heard from CeCe Moore, the chief genetic genealogist with Parabon NanoLabs. She matched part of the DNA found in semen to a profile in GEDmatch. […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 5
Jennifer Foster, an Alaska Crime Lab supervisor, testified March 10, 2021 by video during the pretrial hearings in the case of Sophie Sergie who was raped-murdered on April 25, 1993. Steven H. Downs is charged in her sexual assault and murder and appeared in the Alaska Superior Court, Fairbanks. He is represented by defense attorney […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 4
On Friday, Feb 5, the evidence hearings in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie continued. Gun Steven H. Downs’ former girlfriend Katherine deSchweinitz Lee testified through videoconference in court: according to her Steve did not own a gun during the years they dated at Alaska State University (ASU) and they dated for about 4 years. […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 3
The defense team of Steven H. Downs led by Attorney James Howaniec, filed 11 motions in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie. I previously wrote nine motions so this is a correction. All the hearings did start on Feb 1, 2021, a delay from April 2020 due to the pandemic. Two things dominated this day: […]
Sophie Sergie: Hearing Day 2
The case against Steven H. Downs in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie may not be as airtight as the authorities had hoped. They had to admit that they made mistakes. The mistakes affect the search warrants that were used at Downs’ home to find a gun and the cheek swab to collect DNA for […]
Sophie Sergie: evidence hearing
Yesterday, an evidence hearing took place in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Crime Steven H. Downs (now 46) faces two felony counts for Sophie’s murder. According to the authorities, Sophie was shot in the back of her head with a .22-caliber gun. Police found such a caliber gun in Downs’ […]
Arrest in 1993 Sophie Sergie murder
On Feb 15, 2019 Alaska State Troopers made an arrest in the 1993 murder of Sophie Sergie. “Steven H. Downs, 44, of Auburn, Maine, was arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder in the death of 20-year-old Sergie, the state troopers said in a news conference in Anchorage Friday. Downs was employed as a […]
Case of the Month: Sophie Sergie (1973 – 1993)
This month is the 24th anniversary of the Sophie Sergie murder that still haunts the Fairbanks authorities. On April 26, 1993, around 2pm, Sophie Sergie (20) was found dead by a janitor. Her body was in a bathtub in the second floor women’s restroom of Bartlett Hall, University of Alaska. She was raped and killed. The […]
Laura Henderson-Ibach: Mac’s van
One of the issues in the Laura Henderson-Ibach case has been Mac’s van. Did a live or death struggle take place here or not? As you have been able to read in our post, the van doubled as a temporary home to Jim Kerwin. Please take a look at these pictures. They were taken before […]
Laura Henderson-Ibach: Who else was involved?
Laura Henderson-Ibach, Part 3. Who else was involved in this case? by guest blogger Tiah ________________ Ruble’s reputation was sullied by all his actions and lies and he chose to leave Kodiak. He has refused to speak to anyone regarding this case ever since. I strongly suspect that Ruble was somehow involved in Laura’s disappearance […]
Laura Henderson-Ibach: The Changing of the Stories
Part 2: The Changing of the Stories by Tiah in the case of Laura Henderson-Ibach. ______________________ After the police had spoken to all Laura Henderson-Ibach’s co-workers they all said they didn’t know anything about a meeting except for CW. But even she didn’t have a name for this unknown man. Police had asked them to all […]
Laura Henderson-Ibach, A life lost and many lives destroyed
Please welcome guest blogger Tiah who will be covering the cold case of Laura Henderson-Ibach. Unlike most guest bloggers on my site, Tiah is not involved in the legal world. Instead, she is an accountant, a far leap from the world of forensics and law! Tiah has assisted on appeal cases in the past; she was […]
More on the Laura Henderson-Ibach case
Laura Henderson-Ibach disappeared on March 28, 1986. She and her husband Jack Ibach were getting a divorce. The authorities suspect that she was kidnapped, murdered, and that her remains discarded somewhere in the Alaskan wilderness. Her remains have never been found but some of her personal belongings were. Charged and sentenced to life for this […]
Missing: Laura Henderson-Ibach
Understanding the 1986 Laura Henderson-Ibach disappearance is not easy. This case is as mind-boggling as it gets. I call it a disappearance because Laura’s body has never been found. No forensic evidence points to a crime scene. Yet, two men are serving 99 years in prison. They have been convicted of kidnapping and first degree […]