Dean Westlake, a legislator from Kotzebue who resigned under scandalous circumstances in 2017, has been killed. Police found him in a pool of blood, with signs he had been pummeled at a home in the 7500 block of Rovenna Street in Anchorage.
The suspect has been identified as his son, 36-year-old Tallon Westlake. After being interviewed by detectives, he was taken to the Anchorage Jail on charges of manslaughter and tampering with evidence. Now the incident is being investigated as a homicide, although cause of death must still be determined by the medical examiner.
Police said that because it is a domestic violence-related crime, they are not releasing the name of the victim, but it’s now known to be former Rep. Westlake.
At 6:51 am on Aug. 20, Anchorage Police Department and medics with the Anchorage Fire Department arrived at the Rovenna Street house to respond to a 911 call by Tallon about his father being dead in the house. Blood on the walls, blood on the floor, blood on the deceased, and blood on Tallon Westlake and his clothing led police to look at the situation as a crime scene. The floor was wet as though it has just been mopped and there was a mop in the bathtub. The washer was running, and there was a strong smell of bleach in the house.
Later, police learned from Dean Westlake’s girlfriend, who is currently out of state, that Dean was planning to evict Tallon from the house because he had not paid rent in four months. The girlfriend said Tallon was hooked on drugs.
Westlake first ran for the House in 2014 against Barrow Rep. Ben Nageak, who was a Democrat caucusing with the Republican-led majority. In 2016, Westlake ran again with the help of John-Henry Heckendorn and Ship Creek Group, Heckendorn’s start-up full-service campaign company that runs campaigns for Democrat candidates and liberal causes.
That year, the election worker in Shungnak allowed voters to cast two ballots — they could cast a Republican ballot so they could vote for Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the primary, and they could cast a Democrat ballot, so they could vote for the House position. There was a court challenge but the Alaska Supreme Court gave the win to Westlake, even with 50 improperly cast. ballots. Westlake was unopposed in the general election that year.
But the following year, women in the Alaska Capitol complained of his aggressive sexual overtures. He apologized publicly but soon information came out about an incident that happened when he was 28, when he got a 16-year-old girl pregnant.
Westlake resigned and Gov. Bill Walker chose John Lincoln to replace him and fill out the rest of his term. That seat is now represented by Josiah Patkotak of Utqiagvik (Barrow).
Meanwhile, a former staffer of his went public with her criticism of the Democratic Party for not taking such incidences seriously.
Another pedophile bites the dust. Sorry to be harsh, but facts are difficult things to overcome. Byron and Dean can now hunt together.
What is it with Democrats and pedophilia?
Is this going to be a continuing problem in Alaska politics?
Chrissy, in case you missed it, it’s already a continuing problem in Alaska politics
Typical democrat.
Murder by a drug abuser and the Democrats cheating in an election. Is it just me or am I seeing a pattern here?
Representatives Westlake, Fansler and Parish cut a wide swath through the horniest and the most woke legislative aidettes, at least those aidettes who were not near the top of the Capitol Bldg. curb-appeal pyramid. Since those legislators were Democrats most of the media gave them a free pass, and for the most part everyone looked the other way with their transgressions against young women. (MustRead identified them for what they are/were however.) After all, they marched with women and they wore the pink hats that are shaped like a uterus (or maybe shaped more like a first-calf heifer who has cast her uterus). These three stooges were brought to us by the same operatives who have more recently brought us ranked choice voting, and the results have some similarities. We now know where Westlake is but I haven’t heard of Fansler or Parish in a long time. Honestly, these three legislators and the process that brought them into office constitute the best argument I can imagine for an unpaid Alaska Legislature.
Any comment from John Henry Heckendorn?
Something that scares every parent when hearing one parent was murdered by an adult child. Though i think boomers/gen-xer’s throwing out an adult child, who can’t help themself, because of, the parent not doing what they were supposed to do for their child when they were young, has always been cruel. The loving action would be to help them learn what their parent didn’t give when they were young. There are residential treatment centers father could had sent his son in alaska and outside. That way his son not threatened he be homeless.
The father was more concerned about collecting back rent than getting his kid into substance abuse treatment. And the father’s morals weren’t exactly role model material. Sounds like the fruit fell close to the tree, before the wind blew it over.
Sources say he had a rep as a cop prior to getting one as a legislator.
He may not have been enough of a perfect person and therefore a bastion of virtue in virtuous Alaska’s but he was a member of the human family. Please do not disparage and accuse a dead person. Were you in the room as an eye witness? Perhaps his knowledge of God’s law was incomplete. Why not pray his son attains an accurate knowledge of God before he receives his perfect reward for him as everyone must. Promote peace and harmony. Or not.
A. Galeutian; To follow your logic, his death was ‘god’s’ will and so, he most assuradly got what god felt he deserved.
God is the judge. We all get our just desserts from God in the end. God is not willing that any should perish and has created available atonement. My guess is patricide is not “His” will. God has kindly granted free will, freedom, to humans. God reads intentions of the heart. Humans can’t learn to do that. It is encouraging that in this one instance most are hating what is bad. Usually they are taught by their fellows that bad is really good.
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