Crime & Courts

Palmer man charged with murder in November motel strangulation

Update, June 17, 2024: Martin Saccheus was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the 2019 death of his girlfriend, Mingnuna Miller. He is scheduled to be sentenced in October.

Original story:

A Palmer man was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Saturday in the strangulation death of a woman in early November, police said.

Officers were called to the Peak Inn Motel just before 3:30 a.m. Nov. 8 on a report of a woman not breathing. Palmer Police Chief Lance Ketterling said 35-year-old Martin Saccheus was performing CPR on 28-year-old Mingnuna Miller in the motel room when officers arrived. Saccheus and Miller were dating, Ketterling said.

Attempts to revive Miller were unsuccessful and Ketterling said she died at the motel. An autopsy determined she died from strangulation.

Bail for Saccheus was set at $250,000 Sunday.

Tess Williams

Tess Williams is a reporter focusing on breaking news and public safety. Before joining the ADN in 2019, she was a reporter for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota. Contact her at twilliams@adn.com.

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