Bloke who ‘shot dead new wife and stuffed body in drain fooled everyone’

A man who shot his newlywed bride dead and stuffed her body in a drain is said to have "fooled everyone" he knew.

US soldier Zarrius Hildabrand, 21, was charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence after allegedly killing his wife Saria Hildabrand, also 21.

The shooting is said to have occurred at their home in Alaska, United States, where Saria died of a single gunshot wound to the head and vanished on August 7.

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A manhunt was sparked soon after and Mr Hildabrand is now being held on a bail of half a million dollars after investigators found a blood-soaked mattress and Saria's body down the road from the home.

The couple had tied the knot in December 2022 and Saria's mother, Meredith Barney, was set to travel to their home in Anchorage to "get to know" her son-in-law better before her daughter's death.

Saria's mum, Meredith Barney, said: "We didn't know Zarrius that well. From the time I had spent with him, he presented as respectful and engaged with our family in a pretty normal way as you would expect from someone just joining a family."

Hildabrand has since claimed his wife had walked to work as they were hungover on the morning of her disappearance, and said she left her phone at the apartment.

He also allegedly purchased a 96-gallon rubbish bin, new set of bedsheets, an empty spray bottle, hydrogen peroxide and a mattress protector.

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Meredith is now claiming her son-in-law "walked around for hours" with her to search for a woman he knew was already dead.

Hildabrand had originally refused police access to his home, although a search warrant was provided and soon officers found a mattress soaked in blood and two handguns, one of which was missing a bullet.

Court documents read: "There was so much blood on the mattress that the blood soaked through onto the carpet and into the wood frame."

The 96-gallon rubbish bin was found on a trail near the apartment, while investigators also found blood on some floors and traces in the bathtub.

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