A traveling nurse from Virginia faces murder charges in connection with the death of her Soldotna landlord.
Thirty-one-year-old LaShaunda Lewis is accused in the stabbing death of 78-year-old John “Skip” Dove Jr. at his home off Sports Lake Road near Soldotna. Charging documents say family members reported Lewis had been renting the lower level of Dove’s house while working as a behavioral health and psychiatric nurse at Central Peninsula Hospital.
According to the charges, law enforcement conducted a welfare check on Lewis Monday, the day before Dove was found dead. Lewis’ out-of-state family requested the check, saying Lewis had behaved unusually in a phone call that morning. The charges say Lewis declined access to mental health resources.
Then, on Tuesday, a crying and difficult to understand woman, believed to be Lewis, called 911 from a phone number associated with Dove. The charges say Alaska State Troopers arrived at the home about 15 minutes later and found a large amount of blood on the living room carpet and down a hallway.
According to the charges, Lewis was bleeding on the right side of her body from what appeared to be self-inflicted stab wounds, and she was taken to Central Peninsula Hospital.
Troopers found Dove’s body with stab wounds and covered in dry blood. They found a bloodstained kitchen knife in a nearby master bedroom and a large amount of blood on the bed, according to the charging document.
The charges say Lewis told investigating troopers that she had been feeling “confused” all weekend, and she gave the investigators a fragmented account of the incident. Family members told them Lewis had no history of mental or behavioral health issues, according to the charges.
The troopers found a video on Lewis’ cell phone from Tuesday of her repeatedly whispering “he tried to kill me.” Charging documents say Lewis never accused Dove of injuring her.
Bruce Richards, spokesperson for Central Peninsula Hospital, said Friday the hospital was treating a patient who was the subject of a law enforcement investigation. But they were unable to provide any other information about the patient, citing medical privacy rights.
According to the charging document, Dove was a Vietnam veteran, outdoorsman and champion golfer. His body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Anchorage for an autopsy.
Lewis is charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. She was scheduled for an arraignment at the Kenai Courthouse Thursday, but online court records did not include any bail information Friday.
Troopers said in the affidavit their investigation continues.
