STRANGLEHOLD: Two men known as friends got into a fight at a party, say witnesses.
Anchorage police say a man strangled his boss by putting him in a neck hold after an argument early Sunday morning.
Anthony James Schmid, who is 38, is charged with killing 39-year-old James Lally around 1 a.m. during a party at a Midtown home. Witnesses told police the men were good friends and co-workers -- it was unclear where they worked Sunday -- but said Schmid had to be pulled away from Lally even as Lally lay motionless on the ground.
Schmid said it wasn't unusual for the pair to roughhouse after a few drinks. "Tony told police that he had been drinking and wrestled with him like they always do," said police spokesman Lt. Paul Honeman.
Schmid appeared in court for arraignment Sunday afternoon. He wore a serious look on his face. His dark hair was a mess.
A judge asked him if he'd read the complaint against him, and when Schmid said he hadn't, his arraignment was delayed until today.
The party took place in a duplex at 3504 West 41st Ave. A police officer lives next door, and neighbors described the area as "Leave it to Beaver" quiet.
Joseph Gabryszak and Dusty Kurpius live behind the home where police say the two men fought. They never saw any scuffle but heard a party start by 8:30 or 9 p.m.
"Oh yeah, they were having quite the raging party," Kurpius said.
About 1 a.m., Lally's wife, Tiffany, called police to report a fight, according to an affidavit.
Police arrived to find Lally on the ground.
At some point, Lally and Schmid had started arguing in the kitchen, Tiffany Lally told police.
The fight spilled onto the deck outside, and the men broke through the railing, she said.
Schmid had his arm around Lally's neck and was choking him, she said, according to the police affidavit. Lally was lying still on the ground, his eyes closed, his wife said.
Another man at the party, Nate Hare, said he tried to stop Schmid from choking Lally.
"They had to pry him apart," Honeman said.
Hare said Lally wasn't breathing, and that as he tried to resuscitate Lally, Schmid was still trying to "get back at" him, according to police.
As recently as 2006, Hare worked as a facility manager for Sysco Food Services of Alaska. Honeman couldn't confirm whether Lally and Schmid worked for the company too. It was Lally's wife who told police that Lally was Schmid's boss, according to the police affidavit.
Honeman said it's unclear why the men were fighting.
Lally was pronounced dead at 1:52 a.m.
A man who answered the doorbell at one of the duplex units Sunday night said "Can't help you" and locked the door when a reporter identified himself.
According to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center records, Lally and his wife had a baby boy in May 2006.
Find Kyle Hopkins' political blog online at adn.com/alaskapolitics or call him at 257-4334.
