Bethel Superior Court

Darren Hootch, 39, was sentenced for manslaughter and felony burglary after Brian Agwiak was found beaten to death in his home on Jan. 2, 2021. Another man, Rudolf Waska, received a nearly identical sentence in the case.

David Paul’s sentence is among the longest given for sexual assault and sexual abuse in the state’s history.

Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica reporter Kyle Hopkins recently wrote about Whitman’s murder and Paul’s release. He said the incident speaks to wider issues within Alaska’s justice system.

In separate incidents in 2023 captured on police body cameras, Bernard Mael and Nicholas Kerr claimed that Bethel police caused them serious harm. A criminal trial is pending for a former officer involved in both incidents.

The Alaska Court System says a lack of accommodations has created unnecessary burdens for prospective jurors from a dozen nearby villages. Beginning in January 2026, trial jury service will be limited to Bethel residents.

Justine Paul was indicted on flawed evidence. A defense witness wrote that police should have treated no fewer than 12 people as suspects of “higher interest.” A decade after the killing, no one has been convicted in Whitman’s death.

Justine Paul was accused of killing his girlfriend, Eunice Whitman. In Alaska’s slow-motion criminal justice system, he was kept behind bars even as the evidence against him fell apart.

In early November, 47-year-old Pius Teeluk was sentenced in Bethel court to 20 years in prison with 6 years suspended after pleading guilty to one count of manslaughter for the death of his girlfriend, Marie Unok.

According to the state, John Japhet entered the home of an ex-girlfriend in Bethel and stabbed 32-year-old Paul John in the chest. Court documents say John was sleeping in a bed with the former girlfriend when he was stabbed.

Stephanie Agathluk, 49, has been charged with second-degree murder for the death of Michael Andrews Jr., 54, in Emmonak in April. Another man faces multiple felony charges for allegedly helping Agathluk to cover up the death.