Zarrius Hildabrand, 23, was found guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in his wife’s 2023 death
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NEED TO KNOW
- Zarrius Hildabrand, 23, was found guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in his wife’s 2023 death in Alaska
- Prosecutors said Zarrius, a former U.S. Army soldier, shot and killed 21-year-old Saria Barney Hildabrand after she discovered his infidelity and attempted to cover up the crime
- Zarrius posted pleas for help finding Saria on social media before being arrested and later testified he had memory loss
A former U.S. Army soldier who publicly pleaded for help finding his missing wife has been found guilty of murdering her in Alaska.
Zarrius Hildabrand, 23, was convicted Thursday, June 25 of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in the August 2023 death of his wife, 21-year-old Saria Barney Hildabrand, according to reports from the Anchorage Daily News, KSL, and CourtTV.
He was acquitted of first-degree murder by the jury in Anchorage, Alaska, and appeared emotionless when the verdict was announced, the outlets reported.
According to prosecutors, Zarrius killed Saria – a combat medic in the Alaska Army National Guard — in August 2023 in their home after she learned he was cheating on her, KSL reported. He then reportedly attempted to cover it up by cleaning the scene and dumping her body in a storm drain, where she was found days later.
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The following day, Zarrius reported Saria missing to police. He claimed she walked to work without her phone and wasn't there when he arrived to pick her up, but authorities said co-workers told them she never showed up that morning, KTUU News reported.
During that time, Zarrius had posted a missing person flyer on his Facebook page with information about his wife, PEOPLE previously reported.
Credit: Facebook
“Updated information on my missing wife PLEASE SHARE AND REPOST!!!!!!” the Army cannon crew member wrote on Facebook before his arrest.
Zarrius testified at trial that he had no recollection of the night Saria died, CourtTV reported. He said the couple had been celebrating his 21st birthday and that he woke up to find she had been fatally shot.
“The first thing I was afraid of was having no recollection of the night before, and just not knowing what happened,” he testified, per CourtTV. “I was afraid I was gonna lose my family; I was afraid that I was gonna go to jail for something that I had no recollection of. Just, there's so many unknowns and I immediately assumed the worst.”
Zarrius also testified about his actions afterward, saying they were done in a panic.
“The plan was to hide the body of my wife and then clean up the blood off the mattress and the surrounding area,” he said in court, per CourtTV.
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Prosecutor Brittany Dunlop challenged Zarrius' version of events, telling the jury during closing arguments that his apparent memory loss was not credible.
“Selective amnesia is a coward's way out of a hard truth,” Dunlop said, per KSL. “He acted impulsively and drunkenly, no doubt — but he did act intentionally.”
Saria was remembered by her family as “a cherished sister” and “a shining light” to her extended family and friends, according to a statement shared online in the wake of her death.
Zarrius is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23 and faces decades behind bars, per the reports.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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