A former U.S. Army soldier has been found guilty in the death of his wife following a two-week trial in Alaska that examined the events surrounding her killing and the efforts to conceal it.

An Anchorage jury convicted 23-year-old Zarrius Hildabrand of second-degree murder and evidence tampering in connection with the August 2023 death of his wife, 21-year-old Alaska National Guard combat medic Saria Barney Hildabrand. He was acquitted of first-degree murder and now faces a potential sentence of up to 99 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for October 23.

According to courtroom reports, Hildabrand remained expressionless as the verdict was read.

Saria Hildabrand was found to have died from a gunsH๏τ wound to the head after celebrating her 21st birthday on Aug. 6, 2023. During the trial, defense attorneys argued that her death may have been accidental or self-inflicted.

Taking the witness stand in his own defense, Hildabrand said he wanted to tell the truth after years of remaining silent.

“Regardless of the outcome of the trial, I needed to tell the truth. I needed to get the weight off of three years of a lie,” he testified.
He told jurors that he had been heavily intoxicated the night before and claimed he had little memory of what happened. According to his testimony, he discovered his wife in bed with a fatal gunsH๏τ wound after pulling back the covers.

Prosecutors, however, argued that Hildabrand intentionally sH๏τ Saria after she discovered explicit messages suggesting he had been unfaithful during their marriage. According to the prosecution, Saria had taken screensH๏τs of the conversations as evidence.

While on the witness stand, Hildabrand admitted that he had cheated on his wife and described fearing both imprisonment and losing his family.

His testimony also included admissions that prosecutors said supported the evidence-tampering charge.

“The plan was to hide the body of my wife and then clean up the blood off the mattress and the surrounding area,” he told jurors.
He acknowledged purchasing hydrogen peroxide and deodorant to clean the bedroom, as well as buying a 96-gallon garbage container that he said was used to move his wife’s body.

Hildabrand testified that disposing of Saria’s body was emotionally difficult, describing the act as deeply disrespectful and saying he became angry with himself during the process.

Investigators said he later placed her body in a storm drain, where emergency crews eventually found her submerged in shallow water.

Authorities also testified that Hildabrand waited approximately 30 hours before reporting his wife missing. During that time, prosecutors said he used her phone to send messages to her employer claiming she was ill with food poisoning and would not be coming to work.

After reporting her missing, Hildabrand participated in public search efforts and appealed for help locating his wife, despite knowing she had already died, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutor Brittany Dunlop, Hildabrand also deleted screensH๏τs from Saria’s phone because he was embarrᴀssed by the messages documenting his alleged infidelity.

“He sH๏τ her in the head and then callously disposed of her body down a storm drain,” Dunlop told jurors during closing arguments.

She argued that although alcohol may have played a role, the shooting was still intentional.

“Selective amnesia is a coward’s way out of a hard truth,” she said.
Logan Calhoun, who served alongside Hildabrand in the Army, testified that Hildabrand had been heavily intoxicated on the night before Saria’s death.

Military records show Hildabrand enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 2021 and was ᴀssigned to Alaska in March 2022 with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Source: New York Post