Despite new details revealed in court documents Monday, what happened on a secluded Eagle River road early Sunday morning before June Mary McCarr was shot to death largely remains a mystery.
James Andrew Baker, 32, is charged with murder in the 56-year-old's death, as well as attempted murder for allegedly shooting two other men in a parked car packed with people. Both survived and were released from the hospital Monday, the Anchorage Police Department said.
McCarr's daughter said Monday in a phone interview from Bethel that she and her five siblings are bewildered by what they've heard from police about their mother's death. McCarr had been visiting Anchorage from Bethel, her children say.
"They didn't tell me anything other than she was with a group of people and that the person got mad and started shooting and Mom got the worst of it," Janelle McCarr said.
June Mary McCarr lived in Bethel and worked as a housekeeper, her daughter said. She had been in the Anchorage area spending time with her boyfriend since October. Her children have no idea why she would have willingly got in a car with five strangers, some in their 20s, early in the morning, Janelle McCarr said.
"She didn't even know who those people were," she said. "It still puzzles me why she would hop into a car with a bunch of unknown strangers, especially of a young age."
At his first court appearance Monday, Baker appeared in a yellow jail jumpsuit, cuts and scratches visible on his hands.
During the course of the short hearing, he tried to interject several times, saying he was in Eagle River early Sunday for church.
"My question would be, how do you take the word of a bunch of homeless kids that are all high on Spice, after they take my vehicle, and then take it against James, bondservant of Christ …" Baker said at one point.
District Court Judge Brian Clark twice advised Baker not to speak about the case, reminding him that anything he said could be used against him in court.
Clark set bail at $500,000 cash corporate and a $500,000 appearance bond, with a third-party custodian required. He also appointed Baker an attorney from the Public Defender Agency.
"Thanks, boss," Baker said to the judge as the hearing ended.
Baker's statements in court raised more questions in an already puzzling case.
Newly released court documents detail some aspects of the shooting, but the biggest questions -- what brought the six occupants of the car together and why Baker allegedly pulled out a gun and began shooting -- go unanswered.
Here's what's known, according to an affidavit by APD detective James Trull filed in support of an arrest warrant:
Early Sunday, police began receiving 911 calls from Eagle River residents and businesses.
"Callers reported various facts, including that three suspicious pedestrians were walking on Eagle River Road, and that an injured person was seeking assistance at a residence," the affidavit said.
At 6:45 a.m., Baker called 911 himself. He reported his car had been stolen in what he called a "Chinese fire drill."
Police found a 2000 Dodge Intrepid sedan belonging to Baker near the intersection of Barclay Drive and Brownie Drive, on a secluded hillside residential road, the filing said.
In the front seat was McCarr, dead of a gunshot wound. The windows on the left side of the car were broken.
Police believe Baker drove five passengers to the spot. The affidavit doesn't specifically state why police think the group traveled to a secluded street in Eagle River before sunrise. But police said in a media statement that the group "used drugs" in the car.
Also missing from court documents: How the people in the car, who ranged in age from their 20s to 50s, were acquainted.
Police spoke to the other passengers in the car, who said they knew little about the driver.
Some in the group knew Baker only by his nickname, "Ajax."
Kurtis Reed, 31, who was shot in the shoulder, told police the shooter was a thin white man who stood on the driver's side of the vehicle when he fired. Reed did not correctly identify Baker in a photo lineup presented to him.
The other man shot, Roy Boswell, 24, told police he couldn't identify the shooter.
Another woman in the car at the time told police she watched a man she identified as "Ajax" shoot McCarr.
Police claim Baker waived his Miranda rights and spoke to detectives after being arrested.
"He made various statements, including that an 'angel' threw the gun away after the shooting," the affidavit said.
McCarr's children want more answers about what happened to their mother.
"How did (Baker) get my mom into that car and why did he shoot her?" Janelle McCarr said.
June Mary McCarr liked to pick berries, cut fish and be outdoors with her family, her daughter said. She loved being a parent and grandmother.
Baker will next appear in court on Tuesday for a pre-indictment hearing.