A 32-year-old woman from Dillingham, Alaska, Alaskan Native Jennifer Gardiner was found dead on August 19, 2023. Early that morning, shortly after 10 a.m., a local resident discovered the bodies of Jennfier Gardiner and another individual, 31-year-old Timothy Evans, inside a home near Dillingham's airport. Law enforcement, including the Dillingham Police Department and Alaska State Troopers, responded to the scene and determined that both had been fatally shot.
The investigation into
their deaths advanced quickly. A suspect, 31-year-old Dillingham resident Joshua Wahl, was arrested late on Sunday, August 20, 2023, and later charged with the murders of Jennifer Gardiner and Timothy Evans. He was indicted by a superior court in early September and pleaded not guilty. In legal proceedings, Wahl's defense filed a notice of alibi, indicating that he may seek to prove he was elsewhere at the time.
In addition to the state murder charges, Wahl has been indicted in a separate federal case: he is accused of cyberstalking and transmitting threats in interstate commerce. According to court documents, those threats included messages and content directed at Sheriff Michael Chitwood of Volusia County, Florida, posted via email and on the online platform 4chan. Investigators say that authorities identified a weapon at the homicide scene that matched a weapon seen in Wahl's online posts. Wahl remains in custody on the state charges.
The motive behind the killings of Jennifer Gardiner and Timothy Evans, or why the shootings occurred, has not been publicly established. The case remains under legal process, with court appearances, investigations, and the gathering of more evidence ongoing.
