FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - A 30-year-old Fairbanks man has been convicted of second-degree murder in the death of a woman nearly three years ago.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (https://bit.ly/2waygkF) reports Zachary Whisenhunt was convicted of killing 34-year-old Janessa Kempski.
She was last seen early Oct. 23, 2014, at a gas station in south Fairbanks. Her unclothed body was found 10 days later in woods outside North Pole.
People were interested in these podcasts
An autopsy determined Kempski had a fractured skull. State medical examiner Dr. Cristina Rolf said hypothermia and other factors, including drug toxicity and possible asphyxiation also may have contributed to Kempski’s’s death.
Investigators linked Whisenhunt to Kempski with DNA evidence and surveillance video showing him at the gas station at the same time Kempski was there.
Whisenhunt’s attorney said the state’s evidence was circumstantial and purely speculative.
___
Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, https://www.newsminer.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.