Crime & Courts

Man convicted of double murder in 1984 shootings dies in prison

A 77-year-old man serving a sentence for murder died of "natural causes" at a Mat-Su prison early Monday, the Department of Corrections said.

Kenneth Hunter had been held at Goose Creek Correctional Center since 2013 after having been transferred from another facility.

He was serving a sentence for first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

Hunter, a psychology professor turner setnetter in Bristol Bay, was convicted of shooting to death two men on the Egegik River in 1984, according to news reports from the time.

The DOC did not disclose further details of the circumstances of his death.

Hunter is the ninth person to die in DOC custody this year and the third in 10 days.

Doran Jennings died by suicide at Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward on Oct. 26, according to the DOC.

Nancy Grace Analoak died on Oct. 28 at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center. Her cause of death has not been disclosed.

Michelle Theriault Boots

Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. She focuses on in-depth stories about the intersection of public policy and Alaskans' lives. Before joining the ADN in 2012, she worked at daily newspapers up and down the West Coast and earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon.

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