Anchorage police have charged a 31-year-old Anchorage man with two counts of second-degree murder following a vehicle collision that killed two teenage girls who were walking home after shopping for back-to-school items Friday evening. The accident occurred near Abbott Road and 88th Street on the south side of Alaska's largest city.
Stacey Allen Graham has been charged with the two murder counts, as well as operating under the influence. Preliminary tests indicate his blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit of .08 at the time of the crash, police say.
Witnesses told police they saw Graham recklessly driving his red 2006 Toyota Tacoma east on Dimond Boulevard at a high speed. As Graham approached the curve where Dimond turns into Abbott, he apparently lost control of his truck.
The Toyota went off the road and swerved onto a bike path on the west side of Abbott, where 15-year-olds Brooke McPheters and Jordyn Durr were walking, police say. Graham allegedly struck the two girls with his truck before colliding with a large business sign. The truck eventually came to rest on its side.
Graham suffered serious injuries from the crash, and responders had to remove the roof of his truck to remove the alleged drunken driver from his vehicle. He was transported to a local hospital.
Alcohol, reckless driving, speed and wet road conditions are considered factors that led to the tragic accident.
Responders declared the two teenagers dead at the scene.
The families of the girls are asking for privacy. They issued a statement through Anchorage police thanking the community for their condolences and support.
Family and friends stood in front of the busted business sign Saturday evening; flowers piled atop one another rested on the ground near the sign. High school students stood in circles hugging each other.
Alyssa Albright said she was friends with McPheters, who attended South Anchorage High School. The two met in the fourth grade and remained friends over the years. Albright described the 15-year-old as "one of the nicest girls ever," who spent her free time volunteering at Children's Lunchbox, a local program that provides meals for students living in poverty, and the Anchorage Museum at Rasumson Center.
Caitlin Turberville remembered McPheters' sense of humor. The teenager had ambitions to become a U.S. Air Force mechanic, and was enrolled in South High's Air Force ROTC program.
The last time Turberville spoke with her friend was through email. McPheters was in a good mood; she had just made up with another friend and wanted to share the news.
McPheters was "very sociable."
"It was hard to have a full conversation with her in the (school) hallways, because she would just say hi to everyone," Turberville said.
Another South student, Turberville had just returned to Anchorage. She heard about the accident Saturday morning and spent a six-hour plane flight contemplating the tragedy.
"I must've went through the five stages of grief a dozen times," she said. "I kept coming back to the notion that death is part of the circle of life. But then, her death wasn't natural; it doesn't feel like it's part of that circle."
McPheters and Durr, who attended Robert Service High School, not that far from the scene of the crash, were best friends, Albright said.
Police say that although Graham is still being treated at the hospital for his injuries, his life isn't in danger. According to online court records, Graham's only past offense was a citation for speeding up to 9 mph over the speed limit in 2011.
Contact Jerzy Shedlock at jerzy(at)alaskadispatch.com