A jury in Alaska began deliberations in the trial of a former police officer accused of murdering an Alaska Native woman.

Sonya Ivanoff, 19, was found dead on August 2003 in Nome. She had been shot in the back of the head.

Prosecutors say the available evidence links the crime to former Nome officer Matthew Owens, who is non-Native. He allegedly shot Ivanoff in his police cruiser and then dumped her naked body on the side of the road.

Owens had no relationship with Ivanoff and had no motive, his lawyer argued during closing arguments. He said the evidence in the case is all circumstantial and suggested a former boyfriend of Ivanoff's could have killed her.

Ivanoff spent most of her life in a Native village before moving to Nome in 2001.

Get the Story:
Defense claims officer had no murder motive (AP 2/23)
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