Husband on Trial for Murder Accusations

James Wease is accused of stabbing his wife

Tools

By Lauren Maxwell
Bio | Email

Story Created: Feb 29, 2012 at 7:58 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Feb 29, 2012 at 9:09 PM AKDT

ANCHORAGE – The trial has begun for an Anchorage man charged with murdering his wife.

James Wease is accused of stabbing his wife, Dana Wease, in their Anchorage apartment, then dumping her body in a ravine off the Seward Highway near Turnagain Pass in 2007.

Laura Sena, Dana Wease’s sister-in-law, was the first to take the witness stand on Wednesday.
Sena described her near-daily conversations with her sister-in-law and said Dana Wease was well loved within the family.

“She was a goofball and a clown but all of her nieces and nephews adored her, just adored her,” said Sena.

But Sena also described a different side to Dana, a woman who battled drugs and alcohol for most of her life and who may have turned to prostitution to support her habit.

Defense attorney Phillip Weidner was eager to hear more about that side.

“How many years, to your knowledge, was Dana addicted to drugs?”

“Once an addict, always an addict,” answered Sena.

The defense said James Wease was worried his wife of only a few months had fallen back into the “drug life” when she failed to come home or show up for work in the fall of 2007.

According to the state, James Wease killed his wife in their Anchorage apartment and then tried to clean up the mess with strong chemicals and a new carpet.

Prosecutors also pointed to cell phone records they said show James Wease was in the area where Dana’s body was discovered two weeks later, but defense attorney Phillip Weidner had a different explanation for his client’s drive down Turnagain Arm.

“You know why he was going to Girdwood? He was taking these [missing person] posters out to try and locate Dana.”

It took police two years to investigate the case and arrest James Wease, who has been sitting in a jail cell since 2009.

It isn’t the first time James Wease has been a prisoner. In 1978 he was convicted of murdering a man and dumping his body near the Resurrection River outside of Seward.

 

You have indicated this comment should be removed.

Close

The comment has been submitted for review. Thank you .

Anonymous said on Friday, Mar 2 at 12:19 PM

no law that is what is the matter...well at least we got a President who can help supervise changes to laws...He can and will do that for sure...when I don't know...has to be filed in court then voted on then made official...all you fat cats get ready to get thrown outside...at least it's Spring now...no bellowing in your beer now...it will happen and you cannot change it now...it will come to pass...by the peoples for the peoples!!!

82849225
Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Anonymous said on Thursday, Mar 1 at 9:12 AM

Once a murderer, always a murderer

82708794
Inappropriate? Alert Us!

No Justice said on Wednesday, Feb 29 at 8:53 PM

God a bank robber get more time than a convicted killer!!! What the frell is going one in this country?

82665086
Inappropriate? Alert Us!

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 1000 Characters Left

KTVA CBS 11 | Anchorage, Alaska News and Weather and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.