KTUU.com | Alaska's news and information source | Double murder suspect appears in court

Double murder suspect appears in court

by Leyla Santiago
Sunday, February 22, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Police say the man responsible for last week's double homicide is now behind bars.

James Coven, 22, turned himself in Saturday night and was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and attempted misconduct involving a controlled substance.

He appeared before a judge Sunday afternoon, and while Coven was polite to the judge he clearly objected to the presence of the media, flipping off Channel 2 News' camera.

And police say they've been dealing with the same type of defiance from Coven. One detective said in 20 years of working with Anchorage police this has been one of the worst cases he's seen when it comes to total disregard of life.

Police say Coven murdered Christon Lee of Anchorage and Matthew Peterson of Wasilla, both 19, last week.

"It's certainly a relief that the suspect, the person that did it, is in custody," Anchorage police Sgt. Slawomir Markiewicz said.

Coven turned himself in after police made contact with his family and turned to the media.

Court records indicate Coven tried to buy OxyCotin from the two victims on Russian Jack Drive, but it was a drug deal gone bad.

Lee and Peterson were shot multiple times and left dead in a truck. Neighbors say they saw a man with a rifle jump in another car and drive off.

"At one point we got a tip, somebody called about a person whose name was James who was talking about it, bragging about this," Markiewicz said.

Police obtained Coven's cell phone records and they say they listened in on a conversation where he admitted to the shooting, but Coven made no such confession in court Sunday.

Coven has been convicted of other drug and assault charges in the past as well as malicious destruction of property.

His bail was set at $500,000. He's expected to make his next appearance before a judge on Feb. 24.

Police are still looking for the weapon involved in this case. If you have any information police are asking you to call CrimeStoppers at 561-STOP.

The detective on this case was very clear that the investigation is not over. Coven is believed to have left the scene with another man and woman, and they could be charged as well.

Contact Leyla Santiago at lsantiago@ktuu.com