A 28-year-old Hispanic / Latino woman named Leticia Ann Faller was shot in the head near the intersection of the Old Glenn Highway and Bodenburg Loop in Butte, Alaska, on November 9, 2014. She was discovered lying in a vacant lot beside her vehicle after the shooting. She was airlifted to Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Alaska State Troopers responded to a 911 call placed by Benjamin E. Wilson, who reported the shooting.
When troopers arrived, Faller was critically injured. Wilson was initially observed driving a red Dodge Dakota pickup leaving the scene; he later returned after they made contact with him. Wilson confessed to troopers, asking, “Why did I shoot her?”
Investigators found that Faller and Wilson had an on-again, off-again romantic/sexual relationship. Earlier on the same evening she was killed, both Faller and Wilson and another man, Torin Ford of Palmer, had been at Faller's house. Later they met up in vehicles near a local store. At some point Faller got into Wilson's truck while Ford got out. Within moments, Faller was shot. Wilson claimed Faller pulled a knife on him; Ford ran from the scene after the shooting, reporting that Wilson had turned the gun on him.
A Palmer grand jury indicted Benjamin E. Wilson on multiple charges related to the death of Leticia Faller and the alleged kidnapping of Torin Ford. The charges included first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, Assault III, and two counts of coercion. Wilson was arrested the following day, around 11 am. Bail was set at $250,000.
In subsequent proceedings, Wilson was tried in connection with some of those charges. On appeal, his conviction for coercion, one of the lesser charges, was affirmed by the Alaska Court of Appeals.
Wilson was ultimately acquitted of the murder and kidnapping charges related to Leticia Faller's death.
