A Palmer jury on Monday acquitted 31-year-old Benjamin Wilson of the murder of 28-year-old Leticia Faller in a Butte parking lot in November, as well as charges of manslaughter, assault and kidnapping, though he was found guilty of a single count of coercion.
Alaska State Troopers said Monday that Wilson had been found not guilty of most of the charges in the case following a lengthy trial and several days of jury deliberations.
Wilson had been accused of killing Faller when she showed up at a Butte convenience store on Nov. 9 in response to a text from Wilson that claimed "We got Torin," referring to Faller's longtime boyfriend, Torin Ford. Wilson and Faller had reportedly had sexual encounters in the past, and Wilson maintained a romantic interest in Faller.
When Faller arrived at the parking lot, she approached the vehicle, and Wilson said she lunged at him with a knife in the interior of his vehicle. In response, he shot her in the temple.
Wilson's public defender argued that his client had acted in self-defense, and that the "kidnapping" of Ford was part of an elaborate attempt to persuade Faller to stop using methamphetamine. The case went to the jury late last week.
Following the verdict, Wilson's bail was reduced to $2,500, and the requirement for a third-party custodian was removed, according to Alaska State Troopers.