Alaska News

Cooper Landing man charged with murder of Californian

A California man with an unusual name has been identified as the body found in a Cooper Landing home early Thursday morning, authorities said.

Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said Thursday afternoon that Genghis Muskox, 27, was found in Paul Vermillion's home with a gunshot wound.

Vermillion, 30, has been charged with first-degree murder, Peters said.

At just before 2 a.m. Thursday, Soldotna Troopers received a call from Vermillion saying that there was a fight at his residence off Snug Harbor Road and Muskox was dead, according to troopers.

When law enforcement arrived, they allegedly found Muskox with a gunshot wound. After collecting evidence, troopers took Vermillion into custody.

State records and social media place Muskox in Alaska starting in 2003, when he was issued a nonresident sport fishing license. In 2008, he was charged with a minor traffic offense near Soldotna and, last July, a Facebook page apparently belonging Muskox shows him fishing in Homer.

Vermillion is currently being held at the Wildwood Correctional Facility in Kenai, according to state records.

ADVERTISEMENT

The medical examiner's office was expected to complete an autopsy on Muskox by Friday afternoon, Peters said. No further information was available.

Reach Benjamin Brasch at bbrasch@adn.com or 257-4349. Twitter: twitter.com/ben_brasch

By BENJAMIN S. BRASCH

bbrasch@adn.com

ADVERTISEMENT