In November 2015, 56-year-old Steven McCaulley was found deceased outside a bunkhouse at Port William Wilderness Lodge on Shuyak Island, north of Kodiak, Alaska. He had been shot 11 times. McCaulley and his co-worker, 44-year-old Steven Ridenour, were caretakers at the lodge. Following the incident, Ridenour left the island on a mail plane. Alaska State Troopers discovered McCaulley's body on November 17, 2015, after the lodge owner requested a welfare check.
Ridenour was subsequently arrested in Anchorage on unrelated misdemeanor warrants.
Ridenour was charged with first-degree murder and evidence tampering in McCaulley's death. He claimed self-defense, alleging that McCaulley had attacked him. However, investigators concluded that Ridenour was angry with McCaulley and wanted to leave the island. In April 2017, a jury found Ridenour guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault, and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison, with 15 years suspended, for the murder charge, and an additional two years for evidence tampering, totaling 62 years to serve.
In November 2023, the Alaska Court of Appeals reversed Ridenour's convictions, citing violations of his constitutional rights during the initial police interrogation. The court found that after Ridenour asked whether he should proceed without an attorney, the troopers failed to clarify his request and dissuaded him from seeking legal representation. This conduct was deemed a violation of Ridenour's privilege against self-incrimination under the Alaska Constitution. The case was remanded for further proceedings.
