Two teenage girls were found “violently” murdered inside an Alaska home last week by a man authorities said supplied them with marijuana and homemade beer.
Alaska State Troopers said Novely Rivers and Abigail Olson, both 18, were found dead inside a Hopper Bay home with “multiple stab wounds” early Wednesday morning. KYUK Reports.
Police officers referred to the girls’ murders as “violent.” according to Must Read Alaska.
After the grisly scene, agents from the Alaska Bureau of Investigation and Western Alaska Patrol spent days helping local authorities search for the killer, whom community members identified as 20-year-old Shaquille Carawan.
He was arrested Saturday and has been charged with two counts of first- and second-degree murder for each death, as well as charges of tampering with evidence, misconduct with controlled substances and furnishing alcohol to minors in a dry environment.
Novely Rivers and Abigail Olson, both 18, were found dead inside a Hopper Bay home with “multiple knife wounds” early Wednesday morning.
Charging documents obtained by KYUK say cops were able to link Carawan to the teens through text messages obtained through a court order, which indicated he was going to provide the two girls with marijuana and homemade beer on the morning of their deaths.
A subsequent search of their home also uncovered shoes with blood on the soles and a knife hidden between a refrigerator and a wall that matched some evidence from the home where the girls were found.
Cops claim Carawan later confessed to the murders when questioned.
He is believed to be related to at least one of the victims, according to Must Read Alaska.
The girls’ untimely death shocked the small town of 1,300 inhabitants, where community members participated in a solidarity walk with the girls and start a GoFundMe to benefit their families.
“It is with deep sorrow that we honor the memory of two best friends, Novely Rivers and Abigail Olson, two young, radiant souls who were taken from us too soon on the same day,” it reads.
‘Their extraordinary lives inspired countless hearts and now we come together to celebrate their legacies with dignity.
“Both girls embodied inner and outer beauty, spreading joy and warmth to everything they touched.”
Shaquille Carawan, 20, was arrested over the weekend for their deaths and charged with two counts of first- and second-degree murder for each death, along with charges of tampering with evidence, misconduct with controlled substances and delivery of alcohol to minors in a dry environment
Carawan is now serving time at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center in Bethel, and made an initial telephone court appearance Monday, in which Magistrate Judge Darlene Johnson-Edwards ruled there is probable cause to charge him with the girls’ homicides.
State Attorney Jessica Haines then requested a “significant monetary contribution toward Carawan’s bail.”
“At this time, we are extremely concerned for the safety of the community regarding Mr. Carawan,” he argued.
The judge ultimately set his bond at $1.5 million and ordered him not to return to Hopper Bay, possess or consume controlled substances, or have contact with the victims’ families or any witnesses in the case, KYUK reports.
He now faces up to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 for each count of first- and second-degree murder, as well as another five years in prison and a fine of $50,000 for charges of providing alcohol to a minor and tampering with a minor. with evidence.