For Immediate Release

Eric Rustad Sentenced for January 2020 Domestic Violence Murder

FEB. 1, 2023 (Fairbanks) – On Feburary 1, 2023, Superior Court Judge Paul Lyle
sentenced Eric Rustad to 50 years in jail with an additional 15 years suspended for a
period of 10 years of probation for the January 10, 2020 domestic violence murder of
Kristen Huntington.

On January 10, 2020, one of Ms. Huntington’s friends reported her missing to the
Fairbanks Police Department. The following day, Rustad walked into the FPD with cuts
on his arms and told them “I know I did it.” On January 12, 2020, police found Ms.
Huntington’s body wrapped in a blanket in the empty apartment across the hall from the
one she shared with Rustad. The investigation showed that he moved her body after
her murder and that he attempted to clean blood from the crime scene. Ms. Huntington
died as a result of blunt force trauma to her head. She received two mortal injuries to
the back of her head and had a serious laceration to the front of her head from Rustad’s
brutal assault. Rustad and Ms. Huntington were in a romantic relationship that included
previous incidents of domestic violence.

Judge Lyle indicated that Rustad’s actions violated some of the most basic societal
norms of family and bodily autonomy and that Rustad had a low rehabilitative potential.

CONTACT: District Attorney Joe Dallaire at joe.dallaire@alaska.gov or Assistant District

Attorney Anna Ralph at anna.ralph@alaska.gov

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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis
at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6379.
.