Crime & Courts

Wasilla man charged with murder after victim in October shooting dies

PALMER — A Wasilla man is facing murder charges associated with an early October shooting of a friend who died more than three months later, according to a criminal complaint filed this week.

Dustin Peters, 39, was in custody at Mat-Su Pretrial Facility on Thursday on charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter and vehicle theft. His bail was set Wednesday at $500,000.

Peters is accused of shooting 36-year-old Wasilla resident Jacob Wodkowski on Oct. 6 in the garage of a home they shared, according to a sworn affidavit filed Tuesday by Alaska State Troopers Sgt. Timothy Tilley. Witnesses said Peters and Wodkowski were friends.

Troopers said they arrested Peters the next day after he fled the scene of the shooting. They found him with a backpack containing a stolen pistol and methamphetamine, according to the affidavit.

Wodkowski died of a gunshot wound to his head in late January at Providence Alaska Medical Center, the affidavit said. He never regained consciousness.

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