Anchorage police today announced the arrests of two Anchorage boys in two separate homicide investigations.
The first was a 12-year-old boy suspected of shooting an 18-year-old and another juvenile boy Sunday night in woods off Chester Creek Trail. Both victims suffered multiple gunshot wounds and police say the 18-year-old, identified as Thomas Williams, died.
The name of the 12-year-old was not released. He’s in custody at McLaughlin Youth Center and Police have forwarded charges to juvenile justice authorities. Police say an altercation among a group of young people preceded the shooting.
Meanwhile, in an apparently unconnected shooting, Anchorage police charged 16-year-old Kayden Bryan McIntosh today with first-degree murder and evidence tampering in the death of 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman.
According to the charging document, McIntosh and another woman told detectives they had driven to Hoffman walking and playing around in the woods on a trail near the Eklutna River and Thunderbird Falls. The charges say they agreed to duct tape Hoffman and take photos, but when Hoffman started to panic, McIntosh grabbed a gun the other woman was holding and shot Hoffman in the back of the head. He then pushed Hoffman into the river, the charges say.
According to the charges, McIntosh told a detective he had “blacked out” just prior to the shooting but that he remembered shooting Hoffman.
Hoffman’s family told police she had last been seen by a friend Sunday at Polar Bear Park in the Airport Heights neighborhood. However, police say family members were misled by McIntosh and the woman who sent text messages using Hoffman’s phone saying she’d been dropped off at the park.
Police say McIntosh burned Hoffman’s belongings and the gun he used to shoot her.
Police say the woman with McIntosh was questioned by investigators and released. Police and prosecutors say the investigation continues.
This story was written by Wesley Early and Casey Grove with information from the Associated Press.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
