UPDATE: Murder on the Knik River

We’ve followed the murder of David Grunwald with some interest, in great part because the murder site was (somewhat) proximate to the Knik River murder sites of Robert Hansen. Now we have updates.

In May 2018, Eric Almandinger was convicted of nine charges, including first degree murder, in the death of David Grunwald. That December, another jury convicted co-defendant Dominic Johnson of nine charges, also including first degree murder, in Grunwald’s death. Suspects Bradley Renfro and Austin Barrett are scheduled to go to trial together in Fairbanks in August 2019. A judge cited publicity in the two other Knik River murder cases as the reason for the move.

murder knik
(L – R) Austin Barrett, Dominic Johnson & Bradley Renfro (Anchorage Daily News)

During an April 18, 2019 status hearing, Palmer District Attorney Roman Kalytiak asked the judge to delay sentencing until 2020 and have all the co-defendants sentenced together.

“Have all of them set for sentencing the same week,” Kalytiak suggested. “We already got a hint from the first set of motion practice that there’s going to be some finger-pointing and argument some people influenced others. I think having all the sentencings somewhat at the same time period provides rebuttal opportunities for those who are called the more mature people and significant players in this case.”

Judge Gregory Heath didn’t decide on a sentencing date but set another status hearing for some time in July or August 2019.


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2 thoughts on “UPDATE: Murder on the Knik River”

  1. Another update: Renfro and Barrett have severed. Renfro’s trial has started with jury selection in Fairbanks.
    Renfro’s attorney is using “juvenile brain” as a defense. Thing is: Renfro is in adult court and the law is the law. Plus, the juvenile brain theory is about non-violent behavior. Violence is on a totally different level – especially murder.

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