Crime & Courts

APD: 3rd man arrested in fatal East Anchorage shooting

The third man charged with murder in the shooting death of 19-year-old Byzantium Hill in East Anchorage last month had ties to at least one other man involved in the shooting, according to charging documents filed in the case.

Nathaniel Terrell, 35, was on probation for a federal drug trafficking conviction when the fatal shooting occurred.

Investigators linked Terrell to Hill's murder through a DNA test, using a blood sample they found at the crime scene, the charging documents say. Terrell has been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree burglary.

The details of what happened inside of the Lane Street home in the early morning hours of Aug. 23 have been pieced together by prosecutors and investigators and have trickled out in a series of press release and court documents.

In the charges against Terrell, filed Wednesday, the district attorney's office depicted a chaotic scene with multiple weapons being fired and bullets striking at least two people -- Hill and Terrell.

Christopher Winters has been charged with first-degree murder in the case and is accused of setting the deadly plan in motion. Men living at the Lane Street home where Hill was killed were in debt to Winters, prosecutors say, and that sparked a series of violent text messages and death threats.

Another man, Quinton Henderson, was also arrested on second-degree murder and burglary charges. The charges against Henderson say he confronted a resident outside the home on Lane Street shortly before 2 a.m. on Aug. 23 and forced the man through a side door into the basement.

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Henderson was one of three suspects at the home invasion and murder that night, according to investigators; charging documents say the altercation in the basement drew Hill down from the upper floor. Another man had also entered the basement as Henderson and the tenant struggled, and charges say both suspects had handguns and began firing shots.

Another suspect -- who has not been identified -- was standing outside in the carport and firing rounds into the home, charging documents say.

Hill was shot as he was coming down the stairwell to the basement, and suffered a single, fatal gunshot wound to the chest.

Henderson was found by police a short distance from the home after the shooting was reported, subdued by an occupant of the residence, according to the charges.

"The second man, the one that had been seen firing into the house from the carport area, fled and has not yet been apprehended," the charges against Terrell state.

That suspect and another man fled into a nearby alley and got into a vehicle resembling a Chrysler 300, according to witness statements.

In the alley, investigators found a trail of blood -- blood that a DNA test would suggest belonged to Terrell. Police obtained an arrest warrant for Terrell based on the DNA test and made contact with him on Tuesday.

"While photographing Terrell as part of the warrant process, detectives noted a fresh injury on Terrell's right front arm that is consistent with a through-and-through gunshot wound," the charges say.

Terrell was taken into custody around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Anchorage Police Department spokesperson Jennifer Castro said. His initial bail was set at $500,000, plus a third-party custodian.

Online court records show Winters and Henderson are being held on $250,000 bail.

"(Terrell's bail) is higher than the other two people currently charged, but their bails were actually relatively low for similar situations," Assistant District Attorney Paul Miovas said early Wednesday. "Each defendant's bail is set according to a number of factors specific to the individual defendant."

Terrell and two others were convicted of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, federal officials said.

Terrell also had "verified" ties to Henderson, the charging documents state.

Castro said more people could be charged in connection to Hill's death. It is still unclear who fired the fatal shot.

Megan Edge

Megan Edge is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News.

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