Inset: Keith Huss (Legacy.com). Background: Sarah Dayan (KTUU).
An Alaska woman, Sarah Dayan, aged 39, has been convicted by jurors for the murder of her court-appointed supervisor, Keith Huss, and for ransacking his bank account. Sarah Dayan’s sentencing is scheduled for May 6, 2025. It took the jury one-and-a-half days to reach the decision that she was responsible for the death of Keith Huss as reported by the Alaska Department of Law.
The jury accepted a defense of “heat of passion” for the first degree murder charge and for one of the second degree murder charges. However, this defense did not apply to the other count of second degree murder. Additionally, Sarah Dayan faces charges of burglary and theft in relation to this case.
Michael Huss, Keith’s brother, expressed his feelings about the verdict saying, “We’ve talked a lot about closure I think with our friends and I didn’t really think it was about closure because my brother’s going to kind of always be with us, but what I didn’t appreciate was how much weight was put on us to find justice for Keith, and it’s been over four years and it’s just a huge relief,” in an interview with CBS/NBC affiliate KTUU.
Dayan had been released on bail on Sept. 28, 2020, in another case, but as a condition, she had to go with Keith Huss, who would serve as her court-appointed supervisor.
“That same day, Keith picked Dayan up from jail at the Wildwood Correctional Complex in Kenai,” they said. “The two were seen getting into Dayan’s vehicle, and their stated plan was to drive to Anchorage to work at Keith’s food truck.”
But troopers say that Dayan got her hands on a .45 caliber handgun shortly after getting out of jail. A passing driver found Huss’ body at the Turnagain Pass Rest Area on Sept. 29, 2020. He had been shot four times with the .45 caliber gun and struck with a vehicle. Authorities say Dayan did it.
“Troopers observed damage to Dayan’s vehicle that was consistent with it having been used to strike Mr. Huss,” they said. “A review of Mr. Huss’s bank account revealed that Dayan had used his bank account to purchase items for herself and had transferred hundreds of dollars from his bank account to hers after his death. Troopers additionally linked Dayan to a series of vehicle thefts in Seward as well as the burglary of a cabin in Seward that were committed while she fled from police.”
Dayan was arrested Oct. 1, 2020, in the city of Seward, which is south of Anchorage. The murder charges will be merged at her sentencing, where she faces 15 to 99 years in prison.
