Former US soldier jailed for 59 years for murdering wife in Anchorage

Zarrius Hildabrand, a former US Army soldier, has been sentenced to 59 years in prison for murdering his 21-year-old wife, Saria, and hiding her body in a storm drain near their Anchorage home. The case drew attention to his attempt to conceal the killing by reporting her missing and joining the search, despite knowing where she was.

Prosecutors said Hildabrand shot Saria in August 2023 after she discovered messages showing he had been unfaithful. He used a large wheeled bin to move her body and bought cleaning supplies, then told police she had gone to work; investigators found a text from her phone saying she would be absent. A jury convicted him of second-degree murder and two counts of tampering with evidence, but acquitted him of first-degree murder.