Man arrested in mysterious Alaska Coast Guard base deaths
Suspect was co-worker of 2 victims
This July 2, 2011 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows Richard Belisle, second from left, and Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins, second from right, with James Wells, left.
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Posted: 02/16/2013
Last Updated:
94 days ago
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Coast Guard says an Alaska man arrested in last year's shooting deaths of two employees at a Coast Guard communications station on Kodiak Island was a co-worker of the victims.
The U.S. attorney's office said Friday that James Michael Wells, 61, of Kodiak is accused in a federal murder complaint of killing Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Boatswain's Mate Richard Belisle on April 12, 2012.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Sara Francis confirms that "Jim Wells" worked as a civilian Coast Guard employee at the communications station at that time. She said she didn't know his current employment status.
Wells is expected to appear in federal court in Anchorage next week, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
An FBI spokesman said late Friday he couldn't discuss specifics of the case because the criminal complaint was sealed.
Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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