A Quiet Morning Turns Violent
Murder case shocks as a terminally ill man travels thousands of miles, kills his ex-wife’s father, then dies by suicide.On March 14, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska, the Airport Heights neighborhood was calm. Alder Drive looked like any other residential street.
It was not yet 10 a.m. The spring sky was still covered with thick clouds. Inside his home, 87-year-old Romaine Clark was waiting for friends.
They had plans to meet, chat, and enjoy coffee together. It was a routine they had followed for years. 
But his friends never got the chance to greet him.
Instead, bullets shattered the silence. They were fired through a large glass window at the back of the house. The attack was sudden and fatal.
Minutes later, his friends arrived. They knocked on the door, but no one answered. Sensing something was wrong, they went inside. Clark was found lying in a pool of blood, already gone.
Police later confirmed that the shooter had approached from behind the house. He fired multiple shots through the window, then fled immediately. The whole incident happened in less than ten minutes.
A Failed Attack Earlier That Morning
To understand , we must go back about half an hour earlier.
At around 9:30 a.m., in a commercial street in Anchorage, a small salon owner arrived to open her shop.
She noticed something strange when she tried to unlock the door. The key would not fit properly. It seemed the lock had been tampered with.
At that moment, she noticed a silver Nissan Altima parked nearby. A man sat inside, watching her.
She recognized him immediately. Even after six years, his face was unforgettable. It was her ex-husband, Mathew Thomas Becker.
A Sudden Confrontation
Becker stepped out of the car and approached her. She instinctively stepped back.
He then pulled out a handgun.
The woman ran. She fled toward nearby shops, searching for cover. Becker fired several shots, but she managed to escape unharmed.
Perhaps realizing he could not reach her, or perhaps following another plan, Becker got back into his car and drove away.
The woman quickly called the police. She was not only concerned for herself. She feared for her father’s safety.
A Targeted Killing
Her father, Romaine Clark, lived in the same neighborhood. Becker knew exactly where he lived.
After failing to kill his ex-wife, Becker drove directly to Clark’s home. There, he carried out the fatal shooting.
Authorities later confirmed that this was not a random act. It was deliberate and targeted.
Who Was the Suspect
Mathew Thomas Becker, 61, was from Arizona. He owned a comedy club called Chuckleheads in Bisbee. He also performed as a stand-up comedy entertainer.
Bisbee is a small town with only a few thousand residents. Running a comedy club in such a place is already a challenge. Yet Becker had managed to make it work.
After the incident, the club’s social media manager posted a statement. It described Becker as a complex person. He had once tried to create a welcoming atmosphere for customers. However, his final actions destroyed those memories completely.
A Shocking Revelation
What could have driven him to commit such violence
According to his brother, Becker had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Details about the illness were not disclosed. However, a late-stage diagnosis often means limited time remains.
Many people in such situations focus on family, closure, or unfinished dreams. Becker made a very different choice.
He traveled over 3,600 miles to confront his ex-wife.
A Twisted Motivation
His actions suggest a deeply distorted mindset. Some experts describe this as a form of end-of-life violence.
In certain cases, individuals with controlling tendencies may react violently when facing death. The loss of control can trigger extreme behavior. Violence becomes a way to assert power one last time.
The diagnosis itself did not create hatred. It may have removed the final restraint that once held him back.
A Planned Act
The ex-wife later told police she had no idea Becker had returned to Alaska. After their divorce in 2020, he had moved to Arizona. She believed she would never see him again.
Yet he arrived quietly. He tampered with her door lock. He waited in the parking area.
This was not impulsive. It was planned.
The Final Outcome
The day after the shooting, police discovered Becker’s body in a wooded area near Eagle River.
Authorities confirmed that he had died by suicide before he could be arrested.
Within 48 hours, the case was effectively closed.
A Tragedy Without Resolution
This left behind no heroes and no redemption. There was not even a clear explanation.
An elderly man lost his life. His friends arrived as planned, only to find him gone.
For the ex-wife, the memory of that morning may never fade.
A terminal illness can bring fear. It can also inspire people to value life more deeply.
In Becker’s case, it became something else entirely. It unlocked a long-hidden door filled with anger and resentment.
