A Palmer woman has been indicted on murder, manslaughter and assault charges for an alleged hit-and-run in Metlakatla that resulted in the deaths of her 3-year-old son and her brother, as well as injuring the child’s father.
Alecia A. Henderson, 27, was taken into custody on a court-ordered warrant May 2; the indictments were issued May 4.
Ketchikan District Court Judge Kristian Pickrell set Henderson's bail at a $500,000 appearance bond, with 10% cash requirement. Pickrell also stipulated that Henderson could not be released from custody until a court-approved third-party custodian had been approved.
The charges stem from events alleged to have occurred in the early morning of April 22 in Metlakatla.
According to the probable cause statement filed with the court by Ketchikan District Attorney Alexander Kramarczuk, Henderson, her son and their child’s father were in Metlakatla for a funeral and had borrowed a vehicle to use during their stay.
On the evening of April 21, they were at a memorial party at a Metlakatla residence at which alcohol was present, according to the statement.
Following a dispute with Alecia Henderson over the keys to the vehicle — during which she is alleged to have taken swings at the child’s father and her brother, James Henderson — the child’s father and James Henderson left the residence with the child at between 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on April 22 to go to another residence about one-half mile away for the night.
Video surveillance at Metlakatla’s elementary and middle schools shows the borrowed vehicle traveling toward the location of the two men and child who were walking at about 1:35 a.m. Its headlights and tail lights were on.
“The video further shows the (vehicle) deactivate its lights and then rapidly accelerate toward the unsuspecting victims,” states the document. “The (vehicle) moves outside the view of the camera. A loud thump is heard, followed by cries for help.”
The vehicle continued on without stopping, according to the statement.
“When officers arrived, (the child’s father) was responsive and attending to his son ... who was unresponsive but had a weak pulse,” according to the court document.
James Henderson was found about 150 feet away from the child’s father, and had a pulse at that time.
James Henderson was transported to the Annette Island Service Unit, where he died. The 3-year-old child was flown to Anchorage, where he died on the evening of April 23, according to the probable cause statement.
The child’s father told officers the vehicle accelerated just prior to impact, according to the court document. “(The child’s father) has been consistent in his belief (Alecia Henderson) was the hit-and-run driver,” according to the court document.
Metlakatla Police Department officers located the vehicle about 10 minutes later; its front end was heavily damaged and the keys were inside.
The officers contacted Alecia Henderson at the front door of the residence, according to the statement, which alleges that her speech was “heavily slurred.” She allegedly told the officers that the child’s father had been driving the vehicle, but later, after having been detained for investigation, said she had been the only person inside the vehicle.
According to the probable cause statement, her comments that morning were varied, ranging from saying that she was “drunk” and that she had not been driving, to inquiring about the condition of the child and his father.
In addition to the felony indictments handed down by the grand jury, she faces charges of driving under the influence and driving on a revoked or suspended license.
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