An Alaska woman has been found guilty of murdering her court-appointed supervisor and stealing money from his bank account. Sarah Dayan, 39, will be sentenced on May 6, 2025, after being convicted of killing 57-year-old Keith Huss. The Alaska Department of Law confirmed the verdict, which the jury reached after deliberating for a day and a half.
The jury accepted Dayan’s “heat of passion” defense for one charge of first-degree murder and one of second-degree murder. However, it did not apply to another second-degree murder charge. Alongside the murder convictions, Dayan was also found guilty of burglary and theft.
Keith’s brother, Michael Huss, expressed relief after the verdict. “We’ve talked a lot about closure with our friends, and I didn’t think it was about closure because my brother will always be with us. But I didn’t realize how much weight was on us to find justice for Keith. It’s been over four years, and it’s such a huge relief,” he shared with local media.
This tragic story began on September 28, 2020, when Dayan was released on bail from the Wildwood Correctional Complex in Kenai. One of her bail conditions required her to stay under the supervision of Keith Huss, who picked her up that same day. The two were last seen getting into Dayan’s car, with plans to head to Anchorage to work at Keith’s food truck.
But things took a dark turn. Investigators say Dayan got hold of a .45 caliber handgun shortly after her release. By the next day, Keith’s body was discovered at the Turnagain Pass Rest Area. He had been shot four times and struck by a vehicle. Authorities quickly linked Dayan to the crime.
Evidence showed that Dayan’s car had damage consistent with hitting Keith, and her connection to his death didn’t stop there. Investigators uncovered that she had used his bank account to buy things for herself and transferred hundreds of dollars from his account to hers after his death.
The investigation also tied Dayan to a string of crimes in Seward while she was on the run. She was involved in vehicle thefts and even broke into a cabin in the area. On October 1, 2020, just a few days after Keith’s murder, troopers caught up with her in Seward, south of Anchorage.
At her upcoming sentencing, the murder charges will be combined, and Dayan could face anywhere from 15 to 99 years in prison.
