A comedy club owner who reportedly had terminal cancer is dead after gunning down his ex-father-in-law and attempting to kill his ex-wife outside her Alaska business.
Anchorage police had launched a manhunt to search for 61-year-old Mathew Thomas Becker after he killed his former father-in-law, Romaine Clark, and attempted to murder his ex-wife on Saturday, March 14, according to Anchorage Daily News.
Becker was reportedly a suspect in the killing, and faced first-degree murder and third-degree assault charges after he attempted to shoot his ex-wife outside her self-owned hair salon on Saturday morning. Police said he then gunned down Clark inside a nearby residence just minutes later, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
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Becker’s ex-wife told police that he appeared next to her in a vehicle as she was arriving at work before exiting his car and shooting at her as she tried to unlock the doors to the business, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the outlet.
The woman was reportedly able to hide from Becker and quickly called 911 to tell police she feared for Clark’s safety. Shortly after her 9:30 a.m. phone call, officers located Clark inside his Alder Drive home with an apparent gunshot wound.
“Based on preliminary evidence it appears the suspect went to the rear of the residence, fired a couple of rounds through a plate-glass window, striking and killing the victim and then fleeing the scene,” Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case said, according to KTUU.
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Clark’s body was reportedly discovered by friends minutes before police arrived at the home.
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“[Officers] were hailed by friends who were waiting to meet up with the victim and they went inside the residence because he hadn’t come out yet,” Case said. “And they discovered the body, and then they notified us.”
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Becker’s ex-wife also added that she did not know he had returned to Alaska after moving to Arizona following the pair’s divorce, the outlet reported.
The shooting sparked a manhunt within the area, with the investigation coming to an abrupt end after Becker was found dead in a wooded area on Sunday – one day after the shootings.
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His body was discovered by authorities in the woods in Eagle River around 10:30 a.m., according to KTUU. Officials are still working to determine his cause and manner of death.
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His brother reportedly said Becker was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, and was living in Arizona while owning a comedy club called Chuckleheads.
The Anchorage Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
