A former U.S. Army soldier who publicly appealed for help finding his missing wife has been convicted of killing her in Alaska.

A jury in Anchorage found 23-year-old Zarrius Hildabrand guilty on June 25 of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in the 2023 death of his wife, Saria Barney Hildabrand.

The jury acquitted Hildabrand of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors said Saria, a combat medic with the Alaska Army National Guard, was killed in August 2023 after discovering that her husband had been unfaithful. They alleged that Hildabrand cleaned the scene, disposed of her body in a storm drain, and reported her missing the following day after claiming she had left for work but never arrived.

During the search, Hildabrand also shared a missing-person flyer on social media asking the public to help locate his wife.

At trial, Hildabrand testified that he had no memory of the night Saria died, telling jurors that he and his wife had been celebrating his birthday before he woke to find her fatally sH๏τ. He said he panicked after discovering her body and admitted that he attempted to hide her remains and clean the scene.

Prosecutors challenged that account during closing arguments, arguing that Hildabrand’s claimed memory loss was not believable and that his actions demonstrated intentional efforts to conceal the crime.

Following her death, Saria’s family remembered her as a beloved sister and a bright presence whose kindness touched many people in her community.

Hildabrand is scheduled to be sentenced on October 23 and faces the possibility of decades in prison.

Source: People