Anchorage Grand Jury Indict Anchorage Man For Vehicular Manslaughter

Anchorage AK

07 April, 2022

4:13 AM

Description

Press release from the Anchorage District Attorney's Office: April 5, 2022 (Anchorage, AK) – On April 1, 2022, a grand jury returned an indictment against Ernest Freeman Gray III for one count of vehicular manslaughter, for recklessly causing the death of Sylvia Heckman. The State of Alaska added the charge of DUI by information to the indictment. The charges stem from an October 23, 2021, DUI collision where Gray struck Heckman while she was within a cross-walk at the intersection of Minnesota and Benson north of the City Diner. Currently, Mr. Gray is out of custody and released on his own recognizance. A superior court arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5, 2022 at 1:45 p.m. at the Nesbett Courthouse. The charges in the indictment are only allegations and are not evidence of guilt. Gray is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the prosecution must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney David Buettner, in his role as the newly funded Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor. The position is grant funded by the US Department of Justice, and is focused on DUI fatalities in Anchorage, the Matsu Valley and the Kenai Peninsula. The TSRP grant also provides for training for prosecutors and law enforcement officers statewide. The position is critical given the high volume of vehicular homicides and the specialized nature of those prosecutions. This press release was produced by the Anchorage District Attorney's Office. The views expressed here are the author's own.