Mathew Thomas Becker, 61, is dead after authorities say he shot at his ex‑wife outside her Anchorage hair salon and then fatally shot his former father‑in‑law, Romaine Clark, on March 14. The ex‑wife escaped unharmed and called 911; friends later found Clark inside his Alder Drive home with an apparent gunshot wound. Police launched a manhunt and discovered Becker deceased in a wooded area of Eagle River the next morning as investigators work to determine his cause and manner of death.
Manhunt Ends After Comedy Club Owner Allegedly Kills Ex‑Father‑in‑Law, Targets Ex‑Wife in Anchorage
Comedy club owner with terminal cancer guns down ex-in-law, hunts ex-wife before turning up dead
A 61-year-old man identified as Mathew Thomas Becker is dead after a pair of shootings in the Anchorage area that left his former father‑in‑law, Romaine Clark, dead and his ex‑wife the target of an attempted murder, authorities and local reports said.
What Happened
Anchorage police launched a manhunt on Saturday, March 14, after investigators say Becker shot at his ex‑wife as she arrived at her self‑owned hair salon and then fatally shot Romaine Clark inside a nearby residence minutes later, according to local outlets including the Anchorage Daily News and KTUU.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by local media, Becker arrived in a vehicle as his ex‑wife was pulling up to her salon. Officers say he exited the car and opened fire while she tried to unlock the door; she hid and called 911 at approximately 9:30 a.m., telling dispatchers she feared for Clark’s safety.
“Based on preliminary evidence it appears the suspect went to the rear of the residence, fired a couple of rounds through a plate‑glass window, striking and killing the victim and then fleeing the scene,” Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case said, according to KTUU.
Friends who had planned to meet Clark went to his Alder Drive home, entered when he did not emerge, and found his body minutes before officers arrived, Chief Case said.
The body of 61-year-old Mathew Thomas Becker was discovered by authorities in the woods in Eagle River, Alaska, around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2026, according to KTUU.(iStock)
Search and Aftermath
The shooting triggered an immediate search of the area. Authorities located Becker the following day in a wooded area in Eagle River at about 10:30 a.m. Officials are continuing to determine his cause and manner of death.
Becker’s brother told reporters that Mathew Becker had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Local reports indicate Becker lived in Arizona after a divorce but owned the Chuckleheads comedy club in Alaska.
The Anchorage Police Department has not released additional details and the investigation remains active as authorities work to confirm the full timeline and circumstances surrounding the shootings.
Sources
This account is based on local reporting from the Anchorage Daily News and KTUU and statements from Anchorage law enforcement.
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