Anchorage police have arrested a man accused of murdering an acquaintance in Spenard last month, as well as his girlfriend who allegedly deleted surveillance video of the crime.
Nathan J. Williams, 33, was arrested on first-degree and second-degree murder charges Wednesday night in the Memorial Day death of 34-year-old Shnon Choi, according to a police statement. Court records show Josie Harvey, 34, also facing one count of evidence tampering in the case.
Choi’s body was found on the 3800 block of Spenard Road, just west of Minnesota Drive, on May 29 at about 12:30 a.m. Police reported it as the eighth homicide in Anchorage this year.
“Initial indications are that Williams and Choi, who were acquainted with one another, got into an argument that escalated into Williams fatally shooting Choi,” police said in the statement. “The nature of the disagreement is still under investigation.”
According to a charging document against Williams, a woman who was with Choi told police they had been hanging out near the Chelsea Inn overnight on May 28. She said Choi had found a 10mm handgun while “going through vehicles,” which he sold to Williams. The woman said employees at the inn, including Harvey, were telling them to leave. She said she left but Choi stayed behind. Then she heard one gunshot and then another, according to the charges.
Another witness, who heard the first shot nearby, told police he headed toward the sound to investigate. He said he heard a male voice yell, “Don’t do me like that,” and then he heard a second shot, the charges said.
Officers found Choi’s body and a 10mm shell casing outside. A defect in the ground beneath him, the charges said, was “consistent with him being shot while on the ground.”
Police spoke with the Chelsea Inn’s owner, who said he couldn’t find video footage of the area prior to 1:11 a.m. According to the charges, he let police take the surveillance system’s hard drive to APD headquarters, where evidence technicians were able to find video of Williams firing twice at Choi 22 seconds apart.
Police say they also found video showing Harvey, behind the inn’s front counter, “begin manipulating the surveillance video” from about 12:45 a.m. to 1:10 a.m. when the clip ended.
Williams was already wanted on three existing warrants according to police, for assault as well as misconduct involving weapons and controlled substances. Police and a K-9 unit spotted him walking near Muldoon and DeBarr roads just before 9 p.m. Wednesday.
“Upon seeing the officers, Williams fled into the woods in a nearby neighborhood,” police said. “Officers gave Williams multiple commands to stop which Williams ignored.”
Police say they tracked Williams north to the 7400 block of Old Harbor Avenue, then set up a perimeter. They warned Williams that they would deploy the K-9, but didn’t receive an answer. The dog found Williams hiding behind a wood pile and bit him on his arm, according to police.
After being treated at a local hospital, police say Williams was taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex. He remained in custody Monday, with Harvey held at the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River.
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
