(SitNews) Juneau, Alaska -A jury in Juneau Superior Court returned a verdict late last Friday in the trial of Robert Kowalski, age 53, of Columbia Falls, Montana, after a four week trial. The jury found Kowalski guilty of Murder in the 2nd degree for the shooting death of Sandra Perry, of Seattle, Washington.

The shooting occurred in Yakutat, AK, on July 21, 1996. Perry was 38-years old at the time of her death. The jury found that Kowalski had acted with extreme indifference to the value of human life in killing Perry. Kowalski had also been charged with Murder 1st Degree for the incident, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on that charge.

A status hearing will be held later this month to determine if the state intends to retry Kowalski on the Murder 1st degree charge, after which a sentencing date will be set. Kowalski could receive a sentence of 5 to 99 years in prison.

In July 1996, Kowalski and Perry, who were in a romantic relationship with one another, were visiting Yakutat from their home in Washington. During the early morning hours of July 21, 1996, while in their hotel room, Kowalski was alleged to have shot Perry in the face with a shotgun, killing her instantly. At the time, Kowalski claimed the shooting was an accidental discharge.

The Yakutat Police Department initially investigated the incident, but they soon handed the case over to the Alaska State Troopers. AST investigators from Ketchikan and Anchorage, as well as a member of the State Crime Detection Laboratory (SCDL) in Anchorage responded to Yakutat and investigated the incident. Investigation in 1996 revealed Kowalski had been drinking prior the shooting and arguing with Perry. Kowalski admitted to reckless behavior with the gun, but he persisted with the story that the shooting had been unintentional and caused by Perry startling him. No arrest was made at that time, however criminal charges against Kowalski were promptly referred to the Juneau District Attorney's Office (DAO), but prosecution was subsequently declined at that time.

In 2008, the Alaska State Trooopers Cold Case Unit resurrected the investigation into Perry's death after learning that Kowalski had murdered another woman under almost identical circumstances in Flathead County, Montana. According to an AK Bureau of Investigation news release, on 3/16/2008, Kowalski murdered his girlfriend in her residence by shooting her in the face during an alcohol fueled argument. After a 30-plus hour standoff with police, Kowalski was taken into custody. As part of a plea bargain, Kowalski plead guilty to the murder and in April 2009 was sentence to 40 years in prison. Between 2008 and 2013, AST Cold Case Unit investigators located several new witnesses that helped discredit Kowalski's claim that Perry's shooting had been accidental. A crime scene reconstruction by investigators and new physical evidence examinations at the SCDL further refuted Kowalski's story.

On September 30, 2011, the State of Alaska (SOA) Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals (OSPA) presented the case to a grand jury in Juneau. The grand jury indicted Kowalski for Murder 1st and Murder 2nd degree. Kowalski was subsequently extradited back to Alaska in March, 2012. On 3/17/2014, Kowalski was brought to trial for Perry's killing. The prosecution was conducted by OSPA, aided by the Juneau DAO. Over 20 witnesses from four states were called by the state to Juneau to testify during the month long trial.



Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News: 

AK Bureau of Investigation
http://www.dps.state.ak.us/AST/abi/

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