Alaska Soldier Convicted of Murder for Shooting Wife, Hiding Body in Storm Drain

Zarrius Hildabrand, 23, was convicted of second-degree murder after shooting his wife Saria and dumping her body in a storm drain. Sentencing is set for October.

Former Army Soldier Found Guilty in Wife's Death After Affair Cover-Up

A 23-year-old former U.S. Army soldier was convicted last month of second-degree murder for shooting his wife in the head, sleeping beside her body, and then dumping her corpse into a storm drain in Anchorage, Alaska. Irishmirror.ie reports that Zarrius Hildabrand now faces between 10 and 99 years in prison when he is sentenced in October.

A Marriage Cut Short

Hildabrand, originally from Kentucky, met Saria Barney at basic training. The two married in 2022, just a year after their first meeting. Saria, 21 and from Utah, was a National Guard combat medic stationed in Anchorage and also worked at a local restaurant. She was known to call her mother every day and had ambitions of becoming an anaesthesiologist in the military.

The couple moved into an apartment in Anchorage together, but the marriage lasted barely six months before Saria was dead.

Birthday Night Turns Fatal

On August 5, 2023, Saria organized a 21st birthday celebration for her husband. The pair went to an arcade and a sports bar before returning home by Uber. Hildabrand, assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, was too drunk to remain out by the end of the night.

Back at the apartment, Saria went through her husband's phone and found text messages revealing an affair with a woman in Kentucky. The messages showed that Hildabrand had sent the other woman nude images and had offered to fly her to Alaska during a period when Saria would be away. The woman in Kentucky was unaware he was married.

In the early hours of August 6, Hildabrand shot Saria in the head as she lay in bed. He then fell asleep next to her body.

Cover-Up and False Concern

The following morning, Hildabrand began a methodical cover-up. He used Saria's phone to text her restaurant coworkers, telling them she was too ill to come in. He then visited a hardware store and purchased a large trash bin, which he used to transport her body. A stop at a local supermarket followed, where he bought bleach and cleaning supplies.

On the evening of August 7, one of Saria's friends called police after going more than two days without hearing from her. She reported that Hildabrand himself claimed not to have heard from his wife in over 30 hours.

After Saria was officially listed as missing, Hildabrand posted on Facebook calling on Alaskans to help locate her — writing in all caps to "PLEASE RESHARE AND REPOST" — and told police she had left for work and never returned.

Apartment Search Unravels the Lies

On August 9, officers arrived at the apartment with a search warrant. The underside of the bed was heavily stained with blood. The kitchen had been recently cleaned. Two handguns were recovered, along with a letter in Hildabrand's handwriting requesting that he be buried beside his wife if anything were to happen to either of them.

Hours later, Saria's body was found in a storm drain approximately 15 to 20 feet deep. She had a single bullet wound to the head.

Trial and Verdict

Hildabrand went to trial facing charges of first-degree murder and evidence tampering. His defense argued that Saria had either died by suicide or in an accident, and pressed the point that her manner of death was ambiguous. Hildabrand testified in his own defense, claiming he was still intoxicated when he woke up next to her body and that fear of being blamed caused him to hide it rather than call for help.

During the trial he described placing her body in the drain: "I remember lifting off the cover of the storm drain and then pulling my wife's body down the storm drain." He told the court: "More disrespect, more self-hatred. I remember I just felt so hollow and empty and just disgusted and just hating what I was doing and hating myself for doing it."

He also acknowledged his intentions plainly: "The plan was to hide the body of my wife and then clean up the blood off the mattress and the surrounding area."

The jury acquitted him of first-degree murder but found him guilty on the second-degree murder charge as well as evidence tampering.

Prosecutor Brittany Dunlop told the court that Hildabrand "shot her in the head and then callously disposed of her body down a storm drain," and that while he may have acted impulsively and drunkenly, "he did act intentionally."

Sentencing is scheduled for October. Under Alaska law, second-degree murder carries a prison term of anywhere from 10 to 99 years.

Source: Law & Crime