GUILTY AK - Sophie Sergie, 20, UAF student, murdered, Fairbanks, 26 April 1993 *Arrest in 2019*

Not too sure if this is going to happen, but I'll post it anyway.... :)

Monday, May 20th:
*Extradition Deadline Hearing (@ 8:30am ET) – in ME / AK – Sophie Sergie (20) (April 26, 1993, Fairbanks) - *Steven Harris Downs (44/18 @ time of crime) arrested (in Auburn, Maine) & charged (2/15/19) with 1st degree intentional murder & 1st degree sexual assault. Held without bond.
DNA GEDMatch (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP))
2/19/19 Extradition hearing. Will be fighting extradition to Alaska. 2/28/19: Waived extradition. Next Extradition hearing on 3/20. Downs is also charged with being a fugitive from justice.
3/7/19 Update: Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer signed an extradition request to the governor of Maine for Steven Harris Downs on 3/7/19.
3/20/19 Update: Bail denied. Downs will be held without bail at the Androscoggin County Jail for the next 60 days while the court waits for paperwork from Alaska. 4/17/19: Maine Gov. Janet Mills has signed a warrant allowing a man wanted in Alaska to face charges there that he sexually assaulted & killed a woman more than two decades ago. A judge Wednesday gave Downs a week to decide whether to challenge the warrant. Defense attorney says he probably will not fight extradition. Approximately on 4/24/19.
4/19/19 Update: Governor signs warrant for extradition. Next court hearing on 5/20.

5/16/19 Update: Ad Hoc hearing by his attorneys in Alaska. He will not be fighting extradition-withdraws his appeal.
 
I can not access this article due to EU rules... :mad:


Man charged in 1993 UAF murder will be extradited

Can someone give a 10% synopsis on this - and if there are any future court dates?

TIA! :)
Not much information, court date not yet mentioned..
"According to Howaniec, Downs was transferred to Strafford County Jail in Dover, New Hampshire, 1 1/2 weeks ago. Howaniec said the jail is larger than the Auburn facility and often used to house federal detainees awaiting extradition.

Downs’ case will be tried in Fairbanks by Jenna Gruenstein, an attorney with the Office of Special Prosecutions in Anchorage. When reached by phone Wednesday, Gruenstein said she has not been told when Downs will be extradited.

Trooper Sgt. Chuck Inderieden, head of the department of Judicial Services at the Fairbanks courthouse, said Downs is en route to Alaska and is expected to arrive by the end of this month."
5c6cd26a7e79c.image.jpg


Attendees join arms in remembrance during a healing ceremony and celebration of life in honor of Sophie Sergie Tuesday afternoon, February 19, 2019 on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.
 
Where is Steven Downs?

Jun 24, 2019

"....He was initially fighting extradition while he got his legal defense arranged but waived extradition in May. Alaskan authorities had 30 days to take him from Maine and they chose to have him transported by Federal Marshals.

Downs' attorney, James Howaniec says it has been almost a month since he was taken from Maine, and he still is on the east coast.

According to Howaniec, Downs was first taken to a New Hampshire country jail for a week and a half, and more recently has been in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. According to his attorney, Downs may be transferred to Oklahoma next.

Howaniec said Downs is in good spirits, but they do want to get the trial underway.

"We're a little bit at a loss as to why it's taking so long. It's been a little over three weeks now since he's left the state of Maine," said Howaniec. “We anticipated he would be in Alaska long before this time... we're just looking forward to getting him to Alaska so we can begin the pre-trial process and ultimately the trial of this case."..."

Where is Steven Downs?
---

Auburn man bound for Alaska to face murder, rape charges remains at a New York prison
On June 3, Steven Downs left Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn after waiving extradition to Alaska.


Jun 25, 2019

"LEWISTON — It has been more than a month since Steven Downs waived extradition to Alaska to face murder and rape charges in a 26-year-old case, but he has only traveled as far as Brooklyn, New York, according to his lawyer, who characterized the situation as “almost Kafkaesque.”..."

Auburn man bound for Alaska to face murder, rape charges remains at a New York prison
 
Sergie Murder Suspect to be Arraigned in Fairbanks

August 12, 2019

"The man accused of murdering Sophie Sergie (SUR-ghee) in a university dormitory 26 years ago is being arraigned in Fairbanks on Wednesday. He was handed into Alaska custody last week by Federal Marshals and is now in Fairbanks.

Steven Downs was extradited from Maine, where he was arrested on February 15 of this year, by Maine State Police. He was held in Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn, where he lives. then transferred to Federal Custody before arriving in Alaska last week....

Downs will get a second arraignment in Fairbanks Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon, on a grand jury indictment. Downs is indicted for Murder in the first degree and sexual assault in the first degree....

According to charging documents, Downs was interviewed briefly by police at the time of the murder but denied any knowledge of what happened. That is also what he told Cold Case investigators who spoke with him in Maine in February. But DNA collected at the murder scene was matched to Downs in 2018 through a genetic ancestry database his aunt contributed to...."

Sergie Murder Suspect to be Arraigned in Fairbanks
 
Wednesday, August 14th:
*Arraignment Hearing (@ 2pm ET) – AK – Sophie Sergie (20) (April 26, 1993, Fairbanks) - *Steven Harris Downs (44/18 @ time of crime) arrested (in Auburn, Maine), charged (2/15/19), indicted (3/14/19) & arraigned (8/6/19) with 1st degree intentional murder & 1st degree sexual assault. Plead not guilty. Held without bond, changed to $1M (8/6/19).
DNA GEDMatch/Parabon Nanalabs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP))
2/19/19 Extradition hearing. Will be fighting extradition to Alaska. 2/28/19: Waived extradition. Next Extradition hearing on 3/20. Downs is also charged with being a fugitive from justice.
3/7/19 Update: Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer signed an extradition request to the governor of Maine for Steven Harris Downs on 3/7/19.
3/20/19 Update: Bail denied. Downs will be held without bail at the Androscoggin County Jail for the next 60 days while the court waits for paperwork from Alaska.
4/17/19: Maine Gov. Janet Mills has signed a warrant allowing a man wanted in Alaska to face charges there that he sexually assaulted & killed a woman more than two decades ago. A judge Wednesday gave Downs a week to decide whether to challenge the warrant. Defense attorney says he probably will not fight extradition. Approximately on 4/24/19.
4/19/19 Update: Governor signs warrant for extradition. Next court hearing on 5/20.
5/16/19 Update: Ad Hoc hearing by his attorneys in Alaska. He will not be fighting extradition-withdraws his appeal.
6/12/19: Downs is en route to Alaska and is expected to arrive by the end of this month. 6/25/19: Downs' attorney, James Howaniec says it has been almost a month since he was taken from Maine, and he still is on the east coast. According to Howaniec, Downs was first taken to a New Hampshire country jail for a week and a half, and more recently has been in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. According to his attorney, Downs may be transferred to Oklahoma next.
8/6/19: On Tuesday, Downs was arraigned in Nesbitt Courthouse in Anchorage on first-degree murder & sexual assault charges. Plead not guilty. Judge Andrew Peterson set bail at $1 million. He will be arraigned in Fairbanks Superior Court at 2 p.m. Aug. 14.
 
Auburn man enters plea in Alaska rape and murder case
Steven H. Downs, 44, is being held on $1 million bail in the death of a former student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1993.


Aug 14, 2019

"An Auburn man charged in the sexual assault and murder of a woman at a university in Fairbanks, Alaska, about 26 years ago pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday, according to his lawyer.

It was the second time in as many weeks that Steven H. Downs, 44, was arraigned.

Last week, he entered his plea in a courtroom in Anchorage, Alaska, where his bail was set at $1 million.

On Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty to the charges at a Fairbanks courthouse where the case is expected to be tried....

Lewiston defense attorney, James Howaniec, who represents Downs, said Wednesday he plans to argue at a Friday hearing that bail for his client be dropped to $50,000 cash and that he be allowed to leave the state and return to his Auburn home.

Downs was arrested in Auburn in February and extradited to Alaska, where he arrived earlier this month after several months of temporary stays at federal facilities in at least four states along the way....

A tentative trial date was set for December, but Howaniec said it will likely be pushed back due to the volumes of evidence...."

Auburn man enters plea in Alaska rape and murder case
 
Docket:
08/14/2019 Paperwork mailed to court at: Fairbanks
List of documents mailed: Log note, PED, Fax transmittal, application for photographing, filming, recording or streaming, applications for media coverage
08/14/2019 Entry of Appearance and Request for Discovery
Attorney: Spaulding, Frank Eleazar (0006034)
Steven Harris Downs (Defendant);
08/14/2019 Pretrial Order

Hearings:
08/14/2019 02:00 PM Courtroom 404, Fairbanks Courthouse Arraignment-Hearing Held Temple, Thomas I

08/15/2019 08:45 AM Courtroom 403, Fairbanks Courthouse Bail Hearing Peterson, Earl A

09/19/2019 02:30 PM Courtroom 404, Fairbanks Courthouse Omnibus Hearing: Superior Court Temple, Thomas I

09/24/2019 02:30 PM Courtroom 404, Fairbanks Courthouse Calendar Call Temple, Thomas I

10/07/2019 08:30 AM Courtroom 404, Fairbanks Courthouse Scheduled Trial Week Temple, Thomas I

link: https://records.courts.alaska.gov/e...Q05N-zl5J70-c1OnDEb5cg*0CObrvpPk-yFacCewFEPsw
 
Thursday, August 15th:
*Bail Hearing (@ 8:45am ET) – AK – Sophie Sergie (20) (April 26, 1993, Fairbanks) - *Steven Harris Downs (44/18 @ time of crime) arrested (in Auburn, Maine), charged (2/15/19), indicted (3/14/19) & arraigned (8/6/19 & 8/14/19) with 1st degree intentional murder & 1st degree sexual assault. Plead not guilty. Held without bond, changed to $1M (8/6/19).
DNA GEDMatch/Parabon Nanalabs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP))
Trial set to begin 10/7/19.

Court information from 2/19/19 thru 6/12/19 reference post #52 here:
AK - Sophie Sergie, 20, UAF student, murdered, Fairbanks, 26 April 1993 *Arrest in 2019*

8/6/19: On Tuesday, Downs was arraigned in Nesbitt Courthouse in Anchorage on first-degree murder & sexual assault charges. Plead not guilty. Judge Andrew Peterson set bail at $1 million. He will be arraigned in Fairbanks Superior Court at 2 p.m. Aug. 14.
8/14/19 Update: Fairbanks court where case is expected to be tried: Plead not guilty. Bail set at $1M. Lewiston defense attorney, James Howaniec, who represents Downs, said Wednesday he plans to argue at 8/15/19 bail hearing that bail for his client be dropped to $50,000 cash & that he be allowed to leave the state and return to his Auburn home. A tentative trial date was set for December, but will likely be delayed. Omnibus hearing on 9/19, Calendar Call hearing on 9/24 and trial scheduled for 10/7.
 
Steven Downs arraigned in Fairbanks; defense attorneys visit crime scene

Aug 15, 2019

"FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) Steven Downs is in Fairbanks and he appeared in court on Wednesday for his arraignment. Downs’ attorneys entered a not guilty plea to Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Thomas Temple.

The mother of Sophie Sergie, appeared in court via telephone and with the aid of a Yup'ik translator took part in the hearing....

"He was transported across the country, spent time in four different prisons across the United States, and now he is here,” said his attorney James Howaniec of Maine....

Howaniec said that Downs is innocent. "Of all the cases that I have done, there have been few where I have been more convinced that my client is innocent. This is a case that I feel very strongly about. So much so that I have flown 4 or 5,000 miles to be here.”

Downs’ family has retained three attorneys to represent him. Howaniec is joined by his partner from Maine, Jesse Archer and Fairbanks attorney, Frank Spaulding.

Howaniec and Spaulding went to UAF before the arraignment hearing to see firsthand where the crime scene was....

Sergie, who was from Pitkas Point and visiting Fairbanks when she was killed was staying with friends on the second floor of Bartlett Hall. Downs’ room was on the third floor and his girlfriend at the time, lived on the fourth floor.

Downs’ attorneys say he spent most of the night of the murder with his girlfriend on the fourth floor.

They also went the bathroom where Sergie’s body was found. Sergie was found lying on her back in the tub with her pants and underwear removed and her shirt pushed up over her breasts. She was found with multiple stab wounds on her face and a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Downs’ attorneys believe that there are other explanations and suspects for the crime and hope to prove it in court...

Downs next court date will be on August 16 when he is scheduled to have a bail hearing"

Steven Downs arraigned in Fairbanks; defense attorneys visit crime scene
 
Friday, August 16th:
*Bail Hearing (@ 8:45am ET) – AK – Sophie Sergie (20) (April 26, 1993, Fairbanks) - *Steven Harris Downs (44/18 @ time of crime) arrested (in Auburn, Maine), charged (2/15/19), indicted (3/14/19) & arraigned (8/6/19 & 8/14/19) with 1st degree intentional murder & 1st degree sexual assault. Plead not guilty. Held without bond, changed to $1M (8/6/19).
DNA GEDMatch/Parabon Nanalabs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP))
Trial tentatively scheduled to begin in December.

Court information from 2/19/19 thru 6/12/19 reference post #52 here:
AK - Sophie Sergie, 20, UAF student, murdered, Fairbanks, 26 April 1993 *Arrest in 2019*

8/6/19: On Tuesday, Downs was arraigned in Nesbitt Courthouse in Anchorage on first-degree murder & sexual assault charges. Plead not guilty. Judge Andrew Peterson set bail at $1 million. He will be arraigned in Fairbanks Superior Court at 2 p.m. Aug. 14.
8/14/19 Update: Fairbanks court where case is expected to be tried: Plead not guilty. Bail set at $1M. Lewiston defense attorney, James Howaniec, who represents Downs, said Wednesday he plans to argue at 8/15/19 bail hearing that bail for his client be dropped to $50,000 cash & that he be allowed to leave the state and return to his Auburn home. A tentative trial date was set for December, but will likely be delayed. Omnibus hearing on 9/19, Calendar Call hearing on 9/24 and scheduled trial week for 10/7.
8/15/19 Update: Bail hearing continued on 8/16.
 
Judge sets bail in Sophie Sergie case

Steven Harris Downs, the Auburn, Maine, man recently extradited to Fairbanks to face charges for a 1993 rape and homicide, must post $550,000 in bail or remain at Fairbanks Correctional Center until his case is resolved.

Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Earl Peterson set Downs’ bail Friday morning after a lengthy hearing that included comments from the victim’s brother and arguments from Downs’ attorneys and state prosecutors.
[.....]
At the bail hearing, Downs’ attorney Jim Howaniec argued that there were “significant flaws” in the investigation and his client’s “only connection to the case is 26-year-old DNA evidence.”
[.....]
Peterson kept the amount of Downs’ appearance bond at $500,000 and set his performance bond at $50,000, or 10% of the original.
 
Hello - I shall be leaving on a Holiday to California!! And won't be around WS for at least 2 weeks (9/18 thru 10/2). So am going to post the hearing/trial that is coming up this week while I am gone. Please keep 'good' notes while I'm gone! LOL! I will definitely be way behind on all my cases I'm following.... but will try & peek in mid-way thru my vacation.


Thursday, Sept. 19th:
*Omnibus Hearing (@ 2:30pm ET) – AK – Sophie Sergie (20) (April 26, 1993, Fairbanks) - *Steven Harris Downs (44/18 @ time of crime) arrested (in Auburn, Maine), charged (2/15/19), indicted (3/14/19) & arraigned (8/6/19 & 8/14/19) with 1st degree intentional murder & 1st degree sexual assault. Plead not guilty. Held without bond, changed to $1M (8/6/19). Bond changed (8/16/19) to $550K.
DNA GEDMatch/Parabon Nanalabs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP))
Trial tentatively scheduled to begin on 10/7.

Court information from 2/19/19 thru 6/12/19 reference post #52 here:
AK - Sophie Sergie, 20, UAF student, murdered, Fairbanks, 26 April 1993 *Arrest in 2019*

8/6/19: On Tuesday, Downs was arraigned in Nesbitt Courthouse in Anchorage on first-degree murder & sexual assault charges. Plead not guilty. Judge Andrew Peterson set bail at $1 million. He will be arraigned in Fairbanks Superior Court at 2 p.m. Aug. 14.
8/14/19 Update: Fairbanks court where case is expected to be tried: Plead not guilty. Bail set at $1M. Lewiston defense attorney, James Howaniec, who represents Downs, said Wednesday he plans to argue at 8/15/19 bail hearing that bail for his client be dropped to $50K cash & that he be allowed to leave the state and return to his Auburn home. A tentative trial date was set for December, but will likely be delayed. Omnibus hearing on 9/19, Calendar Call hearing on 9/24 and scheduled trial week for 10/7.
8/16/19 Update: Downs must post $550K in bail or remain at Fairbanks Correctional Center until his case is resolved. Judge Peterson kept the amount of Downs’ appearance bond at $500K and set his performance bond at $50,000, or 10% of the original. Next Omnibus hearing on 9/19.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
160
Guests online
1,787
Total visitors
1,947

Forum statistics

Threads
589,947
Messages
17,928,048
Members
228,010
Latest member
idrainuk
Back
Top