ANCHORAGE — A 34-year-old Anchorage man tried to kill two brothers he suspected of stealing his wallet, according to state prosecutors.
Matthew Scharber is charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, felony assault and car theft in the shooting Oct. 27 of Kevin Kirlin, 22, and Keeton Kirlin, 23.
A passer-by found the men just after 4:30 a.m. Oct. 27 on a road at Hatcher Pass about 12 miles north of Palmer.
The men, suffering gunshot wounds, estimated they had been in the cold for three hours. Kevin Kirlan was found handcuffed and stripped of his coat and pants, wearing only a T-shirt and boxer shorts.
Scharber was arraigned Wednesday and is represented by the Alaska Public Defender Agency, which does not comment on pending cases. A message left with the agency Thursday was not returned.
Troopers assisted by the Anchorage Police Department SWAT team arrested Scharber on Monday. They seized methamphetamine and other evidence at his home.
Keeton Kirlan told Alaska State Trooper investigators that they had known Scharber for about a year and that the attack shocked him.
According to a trooper affidavit, the brothers had visited Scharber five days before the assault, and when his wallet went missing, he suspected them of stealing it.
The brothers told investigators they went to Scharber’s apartment, and as Scharber held them at gunpoint, two men bound and beat them. After about two hours, Scharber sprayed black paint on the back windows of Kevin’s hatchback car, took them out a back window of the apartment and put them in the car.
They drove for 45 minutes. The brothers told investigators they stepped out of the car to find themselves on a mountainside.
They said Scharber, armed with a handgun, shot Keeton in the chest and fired four or five times at Kevin, striking him three times. He fired twice more at Keeton, striking him in the arm, before driving off.
Troopers found electrical wire, blood and shell casings 50 yards from where the men were found at a scenic pullout known as Paradise Point.
Police found the stolen car at an east-side shopping center. Kevin Kirlan identified Scharber in photo lineup and told police the address of his apartment.
