Homicide; Spenard Holiday Inn Express at 4411 Spenard Road

Update on 12/10/24:

From the District Attorney’s Office

Dec. 9, 2024 (Anchorage, AK) – Yesterday, an Anchorage jury brought a five-week trial to a close, finding Ryan Shane Edwin, 28, guilty of two counts of Murder in the Second Degree, one count of Robbery in the First Degree and one count of Misconduct Involving Weapons in the Third Degree. The jurors were unable to reach unanimous verdicts after five days of deliberations on one count of Murder in the First Degree and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence. Superior Court Judge William L. Morse declared a mistrial on those two counts.

The jury’s verdict followed evidence that on Nov.12, 2018, the defendant and co-defendant Dwayne Nelson, then 35, met the victim, David Anthony Welch, 28, in the rear parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express at 4411 Spenard Road, in Anchorage. Welch believed he was there to participate in the sale of controlled substances, the terms of which had been agreed to in a series of instant messages between friends of Welch and associates of Nelson and the defendant.

A few minutes after Welch entered the back seat of Nelson’s and the defendant’s vehicle, the defendant, seated in the front passenger seat, turned and shot Welch once in the chest. The bullet passed through his body and the seat behind him, eventually coming to rest in the trunk, where investigators later found it. Welch scrambled out of the vehicle and fell to the ground, as Nelson, the driver, began to speed away from the scene. However, the vehicle stopped, and the defendant got out. He then forced Welch to give him a quantity of controlled substances before shooting him once more.

Welch ran inside the Holiday Inn to seek help. He was rushed to Providence Alaska Medical Center, where he died from his injuries later that day.

The defendant is in custody and scheduled to appear before Judge Morse for sentencing on May 13, 2025. Edwin has six previous criminal convictions, including felony convictions for Burglary, Vehicle Theft and Failure to Stop at the Direction of a Police Officer. His presumptive sentencing range for this offense is 15 to 99 years.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Travis Atkinson and Pat McKay Jr. of the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit, with the assistance of paralegal Amanda Runyan and Law Office Assistants Kathryn Dufresne and Maelani Johnson.

Update on 11/18/18:
Detectives have solved this crime and officers arrested the two suspects today.

Around 7:30 a.m., officers with the Investigative Support Unit (ISU) located one suspect inside a residence in the 300 block of East 15th Avenue. He was taken into custody without incident, arrested and transported to jail. As officers investigated the scene, they developed information that the second suspect may be at the Backpackers (421 Eagle Street). Once officers confirmed the suspect was inside a room, SWAT was requested and took over the investigation. (Click here for SWAT Nixle) Officers attempted to execute an arrest warrant but the suspect barricaded himself inside a room and refused to exit. The suspect continued to ignore officer’s commands and after a final warning, officers deployed gas into the room he was hiding. They entered the room and took the suspect into custody without incident. He was arrested and transported to jail.

The first suspect arrested has been identified as Dwayne Nelson (35 years old). The second suspect arrested has been identified as Ryan Edwin (22 years old). They both face charges of Murder 2.

Update 11/13/18 2:45 p.m.:
Next of kin procedures have been complete.

The victim has been identified as David Welch (27 years old)

Update 11/13/18 8:30 a.m.:
The victim has died as a result of his injuries. This is now a homicide investigation. His identity isn’t being released at this time pending next of kin procedures.

Detectives continue to seek additional information.

If you have any information about this investigation, including surveillance video, please contact Dispatch at 311 (option #1) or Crime Stoppers at 907-561-STOP to remain anonymous.

Original:
On 11/12/18 at 4:27 p.m., Officers with the Patrol Division responded to the Spenard Holiday Inn Express (4411 Spenard Road) in reference to a shooting. The circumstances of the shooting are currently under investigation. The preliminary investigation has found that an adult male was in the parking lot of the hotel when he was shot in the upper body by an adult male suspect. The victim has been transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries.

The incident appears to be isolated and there is no threat to the public. At this time, the incident is believed to be drug related.

There is no suspect information to release at this time.

If you were a witness to this crime or have any information regarding this investigation, please contact non-emergency Dispatch at 3-1-1 (Option #1)

Please avoid the area of the Spenard Holiday Inn Express as the scene is being processed.

APD Case: 18-45507