Do you know who murdered Vivian Hall? In the early morning of February 15, 2017, a fast-moving fire tore through the Royal Suite Lodge, a 30-unit apartment complex at 3811 Minnesota Drive in Anchorage. Firefighters and police arrived around 2:20 a.m. to a chaotic scene in which residents were forced to flee through smoke and flames; some jumped from second-story windows to escape. Among the three people who did not survive was Vivian Hall, age 63 and female, who was found dead inside one of the units.
Another resident, Laura Kramer, was airlifted to Seattle and died days later, while 38-year-old Teuaililo Nua died at the scene. Authorities later said at least a dozen additional people were injured and dozens were displaced. In the immediate aftermath, Anchorage police publicly sought help locating Hall's next of kin as the Medical Examiner worked to confirm details.
Detectives quickly determined the blaze was an arson and a homicide investigation. Within weeks they appealed for information about a man they believed had crucial knowledge, and by March 2, 2017, they had located and interviewed him after multiple public tips. The case became a large multi-agency effort involving Anchorage police and fire investigators, the Alaska State Fire Marshal, Alaska State Troopers, the state crime lab, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, including an ATF National Response Team.
Eighteen months later, on August 16–17, 2018, a grand jury indicted two suspects—29-year-old Carleigh K. Fox and 30-year-old Andrew John Eknaty—on sweeping charges that included nine counts of second-degree murder, six counts of manslaughter, first-degree arson, conspiracy, multiple counts of first-degree assault, and evidence tampering; Fox was additionally charged with eluding. Both were taken into custody. The indictment expressly tied the charges to the Royal Suites fire that killed Vivian Hall, age 63 and female, along with Kramer and Nua.
Years later, as the case moved toward trial, both defendants entered guilty pleas. On May 16, 2024, Fox and Eknaty pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter, one consolidated count of first-degree assault, and driving under the influence; prosecutors dismissed the remaining counts as part of the agreement. The plea documents and public statement from the Alaska Department of Law reiterated that the February 15, 2017 fire at the Royal Suites Lodge caused the deaths of Vivian Hall, age 63 and female, Laura Kramer, and Teuaililo Nua and injured numerous others.
On October 28, 2024, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson imposed sentence: both defendants received 60 years and 20 days with 36 years suspended, leaving just over 24 years to serve, followed by 10 years of supervised felony probation. The state's sentencing release identified “Carleigh Kaye West ” and Andrew John Eknaty as the defendants and noted that victims described the lasting trauma from the fire during the hearing. Separate coverage summarized prosecutors' account of that night: after driving drunk and evading police early on February 15, 2017, the pair set fire to a vehicle in the complex's carport, igniting the deadly apartment blaze. With the sentences imposed, both remain in state custody.
Family notices published in the months after the fire confirm the basic facts of Hall's death and age, listing her as a 63-year-old woman who died on February 15, 2017 due to injuries from the Anchorage apartment fire and noting her connections to Anchorage and Columbus, Ohio.
