Alaska man gets 60 years for killing wife
Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008
DECATUR - After nearly 11 years, an Alaska man was finally sentenced for killing his wife, Decatur native Gretchen Sawyer.
Derek D. Sawyer was sentenced to 60 years in prison for shooting Gretchen Sawyer in the early hours of July 13, 1997, at their home in Gakona, Alaska. He will be eligible for parole in 20 years.
Sawyer was sentenced in Glennallen, Alaska, on March 20 in Alaska Superior Court by Judge John Suddock.
Derek Sawyer originally claimed the shooting was accidental. He told officers that while he was in the shower, his then 2 1 / 2- year-old son picked up a loaded. 357 Magnum revolver from the kitchen table, carried it to the bedroom and shot his sleeping mother.
Derek Sawyer was not charged until a newly formed cold-case unit of the Alaska State Troopers took on the unresolved case and re-examined evidence using new forensic techniques.
Inconsistencies between Derek Sawyer's account and physical evidence caused questions in the case.
Could a 2 1 / 2-year-old carry a handgun weighing nearly 3 pounds and fire it when its double-action trigger pull requires 12 to 13 pounds of force ? Why, if Derek Sawyer jumped out of the shower when he heard the shot, was there no water on the floor when State Police arrived 19 minutes later ? Why was there no blood spatter on the child when blood was inside the barrel of the gun he purportedly fired ?
These and other inconsistencies, as well as testimony of acquaintances, revealed marital problems and a motive for Derek Sawyer to kill his wife.
In February 2006, Derek Sawyer was indicted by a Palmer, Alaska, grand jury and charged with one count of first-degree murder.
In a 2007 trial, the defense said police had botched the case. The defense also suggested that Gretchen Sawyer may have committed suicide. The jury didn't see it that way and returned a guilty verdict on June 7.
After a number of delays, Derek Sawyer was finally sentenced.
Following the conviction, Cheryl Griffith, Gretchen's mother, said," Now my daughter can finally rest in peace. She didn't die in vain, and my grandson no longer has to believe he killed his mom."
Gretchen Sawyer is buried at the Falling Springs Cemetery west of Decatur.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
