Defense attorney says man accused of local woman’s murder has no plans to return to Juneau
Earlier this week, a man arrested for the 2022 murder of a Juneau woman was released from prison in Wasilla.
In early June, a judge dismissed charges against Anthony Michael Migliaccio based on a lack of evidence. On Monday, Juneau’s District Attorney Whitney Bostick decided not to refile charges.
“At this time, the State no longer believes it can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Bostick said as part of her statement. “While this decision may be painful, it reflects our legal and ethical responsibility under the law.”
The Department of Law said the decision was based on new information, but declined to say what that new information was or elaborate beyond the initial statement.
Migliaccio was arrested two months after Faith Rogers was found dead on a popular Juneau hiking trail in September 2022. Migliaccio was indicted on charges of murder and manslaughter.
Since his release Monday, some Juneau residents have questioned this outcome. They have been posting their frustrations and fears online. A Reddit post contains a video allegedly posted by Migliaccio talking about planning to get away with murder. And on Facebook, commenters say they aren’t sure if it’s safe to walk trails alone in Juneau.
Betsy Holley from the Department of Corrections says Migliaccio declined transport back to Juneau, and was released to a pre-trial facility in Palmer with no supervision.
Migliaccio maintains his innocence and his attorney, Nico Ambrose, says his client has no plans to return to Juneau.
Ambrose issued a statement Thursday saying police arrested the wrong person. Ambrose argues that public pressure to make an arrest led to this outcome.
“I think the record bears out that the pressure to close the case led the police to cut corners and rush their investigation with the result that they charged the wrong person,” his statement reads.
Ambrose said he doesn’t know why the state stopped pursuing the case, but he offered a few speculations in the emailed statement. He points to a lack of physical evidence.
Police found no blood or DNA from Rogers on Migliaccio when they contacted him hours after her death. He was allegedly wearing the same clothes described by witnesses who saw him near the scene of the crime.
Ambrose said police also lost possible evidence obtained via a search warrant for Rogers’ phone backups, though police say the department re-obtained the evidence. Ambrose also said the police didn’t investigate a conflict she was having with family members.
In an email Thursday, Juneau Deputy Police Chief Krag Campbell defended the department. He said JPD’s investigation showed that Migliaccio was the sole suspect in the case after speaking with multiple people associated with Rogers and the investigation into her death.
“The investigation showed enough evidence to form probable cause that Migliaccio was the suspect in the murder of Faith Rogers,” he said. “And it was determined that he posed an active threat to the community.”
Campbell said JPD stands by the investigation it conducted in 2022.
He said Migliaccio remains the primary suspect in Rogers’ murder and the case currently has no active leads, though JPD will investigate any new information.