Download Date 09/10/2021 03:07:55
Memory on trial: the manhunt for Alaska's most elusive mass murderer Item Type Thesis Authors Retherford, Brittany A. Download date 09/10/2021 03:07:55 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/4822 MEMORY ON TRIAL: THE MANHUNT FOR ALASKA’S MOST ELUSIVE MASS MURDERER A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF THE ARTS By Brittany A. Retherford, B.A. Fairbanks, Alaska December 2014 © Copyright by Brittany A. Retherford Abstract The fallibility and malleability of human memory played a confounding and troublesome role in the investigation of the 1982 murder of eight people on a fishing boat, theInvestor , in Craig, Alaska, and subsequent trials of law enforcements’ only suspect, John Kenneth Peel. Human memory — including its inherent subjectivity and susceptibility to coercion and change — ultimately resulted in an unsatisfactory resolution for victims’ families and friends, law enforcement, witnesses, and others associated with the events, investigation and legal proceed- ings. This thesis utilizes trial records, police investigation files, newspaper stories, and personal interviews to provide a summary view of the events surrounding the murders, including what is known about the murders, as well as, the subsequent investigation that led to the arrest, two civil grand juries, two jury trials, and the eventual acquittal of John Kenneth Peel. Limitations of memory are analyzed in the context of the overarching historical narrative of a booming com- mercial fishing industry and a rural justice system, including a focus on eyewitness testimony and collective memory.
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