A dying comedian reportedly traveled thousands of miles with a plan to kill his ex-wife but ended up fatally shooting her father.
Matthew Becker, 61, allegedly tried to kill his ex-wife on Saturday morning after traveling from his home in Arizona to Alaska after recently being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Alaska’s News Source reported. After that encounter, Becker allegedly then went to her home, where police allege he fatally shot her 87-year-old father.
Becker was found dead the following day.
Newsweek has contacted the Anchorage Police Department and the Alaska Department of Law for comment via email outside regular business hours.
The Context
Becker was found dead in a wooded area in Anchorage on Sunday morning, the Anchorage Police Department said. The Alaska Department of Law said Becker died by suicide before his arrest, Alaska’s News Source reported.
Police said units had been searching for Becker after identifying him as a suspect in the death of 87-year-old Romaine Clark.
What To Know
Becker showed up at his ex-wife’s hair salon in Anchorage as she arrived to open the business on Saturday morning, according to charging documents cited by Alaska’s News Source.
She told officers that Becker got out of a car and began shooting at her as she ran and he sped away. She told police she was concerned about her father, who lived with her in her home in the Airport Heights neighborhood. Police said they believe Becker went directly to the home after his encounter with his ex-wife.
Clark was found dead at a residence in the 2800 block of Alder Drive after officers responded to reports of shots fired at about 9:45 a.m. Saturday, police said.
Becker’s brother, who was not named, told Alaska’s News Source that Becker had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The brother said Becker had been living in Arizona since his divorce and that he owned a comedy club called Chuckleheads in Bisbee, Arizona.
What People Are Saying
Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case told Alaska’s News Source: “Based on preliminary evidence it appears the suspect went to the rear of the residence, fired a couple of rounds through a plate glass window, striking and killing the victim and then fleeing the scene.”
The Anchorage Police Department, in a statement posted on Facebook: “On March 15, 2026, at approximately 10:24 a.m., APD found a deceased male in the woods in Eagle River. He is identified as 61-year-old Matthew Thomas Becker. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. Next-of-Kin procedures have been completed. Several APD units worked through the day and night to locate Matthew Becker, who was a suspect in a homicide investigation at the 2800 block of Alder Drive.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
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