Man dies after stabbing in hotel; suspect charged with murder

At first, police charged Jackie Adams, 50, with first-degree assault as his alleged victim, Andrew Wilson, also 50, clung to life at a hospital. But prosecutors upped the charge to second-degree murder after Wilson died.

Adams allegedly stabbed Wilson in the abdomen at the Inlet Inn late Tuesday, police said.

Adams was apparently unaware Wilson had died until a judge read the new charges at his arraignment Wednesday.

"They told me it was first-degree assault," Adams said.

According to the charging document, the dispute started when Adams tried to throw Wilson out of a hotel room Adams and a woman had rented, the charges say.

Several people were drinking in the room, according to witness accounts in the charging document. Inlet Inn policy is to charge $11.50 for any unregistered guests in the room after 10 p.m., police said. Witnesses said Adams woke Wilson at 10 p.m. and told him to leave because Adams didn't want to pay the fee, police said.

"Wilson woke up, spit his chewing tobacco on the floor and refused," the charges say.

A woman told police that Adams forced Wilson out of the room but Wilson started pounding on the door, so Adams stepped out and told him to leave again. When Adams returned, he had a lump on his head, the woman told police.

Adams opened the door, told Wilson to leave, then said, " 'step inside the door,' but not in a friendly way," the charges say. It was at some point shortly thereafter that Adams stabbed Wilson, the woman told police.

During an interview, Adams told police he had forced Wilson out of the hotel but realized Wilson's coat was left behind. Adams returned to the room for the coat and Wilson attacked him, Adams said.

"Adams said he grabbed a knife and told Wilson to 'get out or get it,' " the charges say. "Adams said Wilson moved toward him so he stabbed him once in the lower abdomen."

Adams said he wiped the knife clean with a towel and hid it under a bed, according to the charging document.

Adams' account of the fight seems to be contradicted by hotel security video, a prosecutor wrote in the charges.

According to the charging document, the video shows Wilson's coat thrown into the hallway, followed by Wilson. Wilson got up, kicked the door and Adams exited a few moments later and pushed Wilson out the exterior door of the hotel. Wilson returned and started kicking the door again. The door opened. Wilson went inside and stepped back out, appearing to have been stabbed, the charges say.

Medics and police found Wilson bleeding in the hallway. He died early Wednesday after emergency surgery at Alaska Native Medical Center, according to the charges.

"They did surgery with him immediately and couldn't save his life," police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said.

A judge set Adams' bail at $100,000 cash and required a court-approved third-party custodian.