Man linked to triple homicide near Wasilla facing federal firearm charge

A man that Alaska State Troopers said is a “person of interest” in a triple homicide near Wasilla was indicted by federal grand jury Wednesday on a firearm charge stemming from the early November homicide investigation.

Investigators said ammunition found in 51-year-old Juan Camarena’s home matched the .40 caliber shell casings found by the bodies of three people killed by gunfire. Prosecutors argued in a memorandum filed Monday that he should not be released on bail in part because “his criminal history is a constellation of violent crimes and drug-trafficking offenses.”

Caramena was previously convicted for participation in a street gang, methamphetamine trafficking, assault with a deadly weapon and evading a police officer, according to an alert from Anchorage police Wednesday. He was charged with second-degree murder in California in 1993 but not convicted, according to the memorandum.

Investigators were called to the 8700 block of Warbler Street in Wasilla after a man was found dead in a vehicle on Nov. 2, according to an affidavit filed in federal court. Troopers initially found the bodies of Michael Attwood, 25, of Big Lake and Donna Marie Campos, 37, of Wasilla. Several days later, they found a third victim, 28-year-old Alyssa Jimenez of Big Lake.

According to charges, an autopsy determined all three died from gunfire.

Troopers identified Camarena as a person of interest and wrote in a public alert that he was wanted for questioning about the triple homicide. Troopers have not said what initially led them to believe he was involved.

After troopers determined Camarena was a person of interest, they searched a fifth-wheel trailer where several people said he lived. There were 16 live rounds found throughout the trailer alongside documents from the California Bureau of Prisons, the charges said. As a felon, Camarena is prohibited from purchasing firearms.

“So rarely does this Court have before it a felon in possession charge where the evidence documenting felony conviction is merely one shelf away from the prohibited item,” Assistant United States Attorney Karen Vandergaw wrote in the memorandum.

A warrant was issued for his arrest and Camarena turned himself in Nov. 14, troopers wrote in the updated alert.

Camarena is not currently facing charges related to the triple homicide. A spokesman for the troopers said Wednesday that no additional information is available.

Camarena was indicted Wednesday on a count of felon in possession of ammunition and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.