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The Newman Family Murders
Who brutally assaulted and killed Nancy Newman and her two daughters?
The 1987 brutal murders of a mother and her two daughters in Anchorage, Alaska, terrified residents, and they wondered who could commit such a barbaric act, and would he strike again?
People move to Alaska for a variety of reasons, including adventure, the chance to make good money, a desire to live in the wilderness, and a chance to escape the problems in their lives. Alaska is not a good refuge for people with serious issues, though. Harsh weather and endless winter nights lead to depression. If a person has psychological problems to begin with, they are likely to get worse in Alaska. Kirby Anthoney was so flawed before he moved to Alaska, it is difficult to say whether his condition worsened once he lived here for a while, but from his actions, we can guess it did.
Nancy Newman and her sister, Cheryl Chapman, were waitresses at Gwennies, a popular Anchorage restaurant still in business today. Nancy’s husband, John, worked as a heavy equipment operator for MarkAir until he was seriously injured in a forklift accident. Workman’s Compensation paid to have him retrained in California as a locksmith, and he was in California at his training in March 1987. Meanwhile, Nancy and her two daughters, Melissa, age eight, and Angie, age three, stayed in Anchorage, where Nancy worked as a tax accountant in addition to her job at Gwennies.
At 6:00 pm on Friday, March 13th, 1987, Nancy joined her sister, Cheryl, and Cheryl’s husband, Paul Chapman, for dinner at Gwennies. Meanwhile, Cheryl’s daughter took Nancy’s children swimming. Nancy left her car at Gwennies and rode with the Chapmans to their house, where they sat and talked. Later, they drove to Nancy’s apartment and sat around her kitchen table smoking and drinking coffee. Melissa and Angie returned home at 9:00 pm and went to bed, and the Chapmans departed awhile later. Nancy left her car at Gwennies that night and told the Chapmans she would get a ride to the restaurant the following day to retrieve it. Her next shift at Gwennies was not until 6:00 am Sunday.
At 8:00 am on Sunday, a ringing telephone startled the Chapmans awake. Nancy’s boss at Gwennies apologized for calling so early but said Nancy was two hours late…
