Arizona Man’s Cross-Country Crime Spree Ends in Tragedy in Alaska
A shocking incident has unfolded with an Arizona man, identified as 61-year-old Matthew Becker, embarking on a desperate and violent journey that spanned thousands of miles, culminating in a fatal confrontation in Alaska. Becker, who was reportedly battling terminal cancer, is accused of attempting to murder his ex-wife in Anchorage and fatally shooting her elderly father before he was discovered dead himself.
Becker, formerly the owner of the Chuckleheads comedy club in Bisbee, Arizona, a town situated approximately 100 miles southeast of Tucson and near the Mexican border, appears to have orchestrated a plan to target his ex-wife. On the morning of March 14th, he made his way to Anchorage, Alaska – a staggering distance of around 4,000 miles from his residence.
According to court documents, Becker’s initial target was his ex-wife’s place of business, a hair salon in Anchorage. He was observed tampering with the lock on the salon door, presumably with the intent of gaining entry.
The woman, whose identity has been withheld by authorities, informed the police that upon her arrival at work that day, she found herself unable to open the door due to the damage inflicted on the lock. It was at this critical moment, as she realised something was amiss, that Becker emerged from a nearby vehicle where he had been waiting. He then began firing shots in her direction.
The ex-wife, who stated she had no prior knowledge of her ex-husband being in Anchorage, managed to evade the gunfire. She fled the scene and sought refuge between buildings, from where she was able to contact emergency services.
Upon their arrival, officers from the Anchorage Police Department were met by the distressed woman. During her statement, she expressed grave concern for her elderly father, with whom she resided.
Responding to the woman’s fears, the police proceeded to her father’s home to conduct a welfare check. Tragically, at approximately 9:46 am, they discovered the woman’s father deceased, having sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The victim was later identified by the Anchorage Police Department as 87-year-old Romaine Clark.
Officer Sean Case of the Anchorage Police Department indicated to local media that it is believed Becker drove directly to Mr. Clark’s residence immediately after the shooting incident involving his ex-wife. The timeline provided by authorities suggests a mere 45-minute gap between the ex-wife’s 911 call and the discovery of Mr. Clark’s body. Police further reported that Mr. Clark was shot through a window at the rear of his home. Becker was subsequently named as the primary suspect in both the murder of Mr. Clark and the attempted shooting of his ex-wife.
A widespread manhunt was initiated for the terminally ill comedy club owner. The search concluded the following day, March 15th, around 10:24 am. Becker was found deceased in a wooded area adjacent to the Eagle River campground, located on the outskirts of Anchorage. Authorities confirmed that Becker was discovered with a gunshot wound to his upper body, and the exact cause of death is pending a determination by the medical examiner.
Confirmation of Becker’s recent diagnosis with terminal cancer and his relocation to Arizona following his divorce came from his brother, who spoke with local Alaskan news outlets.
In the wake of these tragic events, the Chuckleheads comedy club, now listed as “permanently closed” on social media platforms, issued a statement expressing its profound sorrow and distancing itself from Becker’s actions. The statement described Becker as “a complicated man, to say the least.”
The club’s statement lamented the devastating impact of Becker’s final acts, asserting, “His last actions ruined every positive memory I had of him.” It further conveyed the sense of betrayal felt by the team at Chuckleheads: “Matt ruined everything that the team at Chuckleheads ever tried to build.”
The statement strongly condemned any attempts to deflect from the gravity of the situation, stating, “To make this tragedy about anything else than the murder of an innocent 87-year-old man, is wrong and shameful. There’s no convoluted cancer medicated induced rational argument that will ever bring that dad back.”
Emphasizing the profound loss and the inability to encapsulate such a tragedy in brief media reports, the statement concluded, “This story can’t be summed up in a tweet or Facebook post. A father’s life can’t fit into a news article. It’s tragic that a person can enter someone’s life and monumentally alter its trajectory, scarring and traumatizing it forever.” The message ended with a poignant farewell: “Rest in Peace Romaine Clark.”
