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New Details Emerge In Homer Homicide Case

Photo courtesy of the City of Homer

Recent developments in Homer’s only unsolved homicide case have led to an arrest. Along with the arrest, new details about the case have emerged.

Homer Police arrested Lee John Henry, 55, on Oct. 16 for the 2013 killing of Mark Matthews. He was reportedly taken into custody at an address on Pioneer Avenue, near the Grog Shop.

Because it was an active investigation, Homer Police have released only limited information about the case until recently.

Two people walking along the Poopdeck Trail found Matthews’ body just after 10 p.m. on July 28, 2013.

Based on an autopsy by the State Medical Examiner, Homer Police ruled Matthews’ death a homicide. But details remained confidential.

Homer Police Sergeant Lary Kuhns now says Matthews was beaten to death.

“It was blunt force trauma to the head and face,” he said.

Matthews' body was not found on the Poopdeck Trail, but the nearby Boystown Trail. Kuhns said this was a deliberate tactic used in the investigation.

“My suggestion was I don’t think we should tell anyone the exact location where this occurred because that’s the location only known to the person or persons involved. Of course the idea there is that anybody who had relevant information would say, it didn’t happen on the Poopdeck Trail, it happened on this other trail,” Kuhns said.

The case has remained open for the last three years, while Homer Police conducted their investigation.

In September, an unnamed person contacted Kuhns with information about Matthews’ death. 

“Somebody with information came forward and asked to speak with me,” he said.

Henry later confessed to the killing in a phone call to Homer Police.

Police were aware that Henry had been in contact with Matthews on the evening of the murder. A cab driver witnessed the pair arguing near a park bench on Poopdeck Street about a half hour before Matthews' death.

Kuhns said this piece of information helped police determine when the incident occurred.

“He really helped as far as establishing a timeline. With just seeing the argument and then how much longer it was from that time to the time he saw or heard police sirens. We were able to capture a 20 to 30 minute window of time as it when it would have happened,” Kuhns said.

Henry was arraigned on Oct. 17 in Homer Courthouse for first-degree murder. Judge Margaret Murphy appointed him a public defender, but did not set bail. He was then transferred to Wildwood Correctional Complex in Kenai.

The case will be presented before a Grand Jury in Kenai Superior Court on Oct. 19. In Grand Jury Proceedings, jurors decide whether there is enough evidence to formally press charges against the defendant. The proceedings are not open to the public.

If convicted, Henry faces up to 99 years in prison.

Editor's note: a previous version of this story incorrectly referred to the case as a murder. A homicide is not officially classified as a murder unless the defendant has been convicted of that charge.