Shaquille Carawan Alaska man arrested in the stabbing deaths of cousins, Novely Rivers and Abigail Olson after plowing the ‘indigenous’ young women with alcohol after a rendezvous turned violent.
A 20 year old Alaska man is alleged to have confessed to the stabbing murder of two teen cousins hailing from the Hooper Bay tribal village last week, after the bodies of the two 18 year old women were found with multitude of stab wounds at one of the victim’s home.
Shaquille Carawan upon his arrest on Sunday faced six felony charges including first- and second-degree murder in the deaths of cousins, Novely Rivers and Abigail Olson, along with the plowing of alcohol to the underage drinkers.
Carawan now faces up to 99 years in prison and up to a $500,000 fine for each count of first- and second-degree murder, as well as another five years in prison and a $50,000 fine on the charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor and tampering with evidence.
Murders bring Hooper Bay tribal community together
A report via Must Read Alaska tied the suspect to the cousins, including texts which indicated the imminent delivery of ‘home made alcohol’ and marijuana’ which escalated into a violent confrontation upon the suspect arriving at the home.
An autopsy found more than 60 slash and stab wounds on the women’s bodies, according to a sworn affidavit.
A government dispatch described the killings as a ‘violent murder’ that drew dozens of law enforcement officers to the Yukon-Kuskokwim village of about 1,300 people.
In the days after the deaths, the city and Hooper Bay’s tribal government offered a $10,000 reward for information that would lead to an arrest in the homicide investigation. Community members gathered over the weekend for a walk and prayer circle to support the families and friends of Rivers and Olson.
Hooper Bay police officers were called to Rivers’ home early Wednesday and found her and Olson dead with multiple stab wounds and blunt-force trauma to their bodies, according to the sworn affidavit written by troopers Sgt. Brandon Viator and included with the charges.
Alcohol tied to murders in a community riddled with alcoholism
Carawan initially denied being at the home or being connected to the deaths but ‘later confessed to killing both victims with the blue knife and explained the event in full detail,’ the affidavit said, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
During the interview, Carawan told investigators he threw Olson’s and Rivers’ phones in a lake as he ran home after stabbing them. Investigators later recovered the phones, where they proceeded to transcribe texts following the serving of a warrant between the victims and an unknown number, later revealed to belong to Carawan.
A search of the suspect’s home led to the discovery of shoes with blood in the treads and a knife hidden between a fridge and a wall that matched some evidence at the house where the girls were found.
It is believed Carawan is a relative of at least one of the victims, according to Must Read Alaska.
The slayings come in context of Native Americans having ‘a long and difficult history with alcohol,’ USA Today previously reported. The issue of unrelenting alcoholism harks back to when European colonists plied tribal people with alcohol to weaken them during negotiations and hostilities.
Carawan remains in custody at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center with bail set at $1.5 million.
He is next slated to appear in court on Oct. 17.
