Law enforcement officials have released the identities of the four victims in a multiple murder which took place in Sitka on Tuesday. The dead are 69-year old John Abbot, his wife 68-year old Alice Abbot, their daughter 40-year old Elizabeth Abbot, and her boyfriend 37-year old Charles Tate. Authorities list Tate’s birthplace as Nome. Unofficial sources report that a fifth victim of the attack, Mary Rickards, a daughter of one of the deceased, is in stable condition at Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital. 18-year-old Jason Abbot remains in custody on 4 counts of first degree murder and 1 count of attempted murder. The killings are the largest homicide case in modern memory in Sitka, and possibly one of the most tragic cases of domestic violence in the state.
Robert Woolsey, KCAW – Sitka
