Defence attorney: No hard evidence Alaska woman is dead

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The attorney for an Alaska man charged with murder says prosecutors lack hard evidence that his wife is dead.

The Anchorage Daily News reports the trial started last week for Thomas Skeek, who is accused of killing 32-year-old Linda Skeek.

Prosecutors say 37-year-old Thomas Skeek killed his wife on New Year’s Day in 2016 and then disposed of her body before reporting her disappearance to authorities.

His attorney, Emily Cooper, says prosecutors can’t prove Linda Skeek is dead — much less that her husband killed her.

The Anchorage couple was married for eight years before the disappearance. Linda Skeek’s family held a memorial after publishing her obituary in 2016.

The trial is expected to last for weeks. The circumstance of a trial without a body is rare in the state.

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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com