The Fort Richardson soldier accused of shooting his wife and infant daughter dead before turning the gun on himself pleaded not guilty on Friday to murder charges.
Army Spc. Kip Lynch is charged with two counts each of first- and second-degree murder in the deaths of his wife, Raquell Lynch, 19, and daughter, 8-month-old Kyirsta, who were found dead April 26 in a South Anchorage apartment.
Police and prosecutors say Lynch shot himself in the head in the bedroom of the family apartment at 9900 William Jones Circle. He was incapacitated for a time, though after treatment at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., he is competent to stand trial, prosecutors now say.
A soft-spoken Lynch appeared at the hearing with a scar under his chin. His left eye was bloodshot and appeared to wander. He responded to questions from Judge Peter Ashman with polite and coherent answers.
But after being told his military lawyer could not represent him on the murder charges, Lynch also told the judge he thought he could afford a lawyer and that he has money in the bank, when he evidently does not.
Raquell Lynch's mother, Christina Kulik, listened by phone to the hearing and told the judge that Lynch didn't know that his account had been emptied by court order of $7,000 to help cover the cost of the funerals for his wife and daughter. Lynch's paycheck from the Army has also been suspended, she said.
Ashman appointed an attorney for Lynch and held his bail at $500,000 with a third-party custodian requirement after Assistant District Attorney Gustaf Olson said prosecutors thought it appropriate because of the severity of the allegations.
The judge set a trial date of Oct. 19, though that's likely to change.
Lynch met Raquell in high school and enlisted in the Army in September 2007. He went to boot camp at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and was assigned to the 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, which returned from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan in February, two months before the shootings.
Several soldiers attended Friday's hearing but said they were not allowed to comment.
Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin.
By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com