Cross-Country Tragedy Unfolds as Terminally Ill Man Targets Ex-Wife
In a shocking case that spanned thousands of miles, a terminally ill Arizona man embarked on a deadly mission to Alaska, where he attempted to murder his ex-wife and fatally shot her elderly father before his own life ended tragically.
The Arizona Connection and Alaskan Attack
Matthew Becker, 61, owned the Chuckleheads comedy club in Bisbee, Arizona—a small city approximately 100 miles southeast of Tucson, situated just north of the Mexican border. Despite his diagnosis of terminal cancer, Becker undertook an extraordinary journey of around 4,000 miles to Anchorage, Alaska, where his ex-wife resided.
On the morning of March 14, according to court records, Becker arrived at his ex-wife's hair salon in Anchorage. The woman, whose identity remains protected, discovered she could not open the door due to tampering with the lock. Suddenly, Becker emerged from a nearby vehicle and began firing shots at her.
The terrified woman managed to escape, hiding between buildings before urgently calling 911. She later informed police she had no prior knowledge of her ex-husband's presence in Alaska.
A Father's Tragic Fate and Swift Police Response
Expressing immediate concern for her elderly father, with whom she lived, the woman prompted Anchorage Police Department officers to conduct a wellness check at their residence. At approximately 9:46 a.m., officers made a grim discovery: 87-year-old Romaine Clark had been shot to death.
Officer Sean Case of the Anchorage Police Department revealed to local media that Becker likely drove directly to Clark's home after the attempted attack on his ex-wife. Remarkably, only about 45 minutes elapsed between the 911 call and the wellness check that uncovered Clark's murder.
Investigators determined Clark was shot through a window at the rear of the property, swiftly naming Becker as the prime suspect in both the elderly man's killing and the shooting targeting his ex-wife.
The Manhunt and Final Discovery
A widespread search for the terminally ill comedy club owner ensued. Just over 24 hours after Clark's body was discovered, on March 15 around 10:24 a.m., police located Becker deceased in a wooded area near the Eagle River campground, situated just outside Anchorage.
The Anchorage Police Department reported Becker was found with a gunshot wound to the upper body, noting the medical examiner would determine the precise cause of death.
Family Background and Business Fallout
Becker's brother confirmed to Alaskan news sources that the comedy club owner had been living in Arizona since his divorce and had recently received a terminal cancer diagnosis. This personal turmoil culminated in the cross-country violence that left one man dead and a family shattered.
In the aftermath, Chuckleheads comedy club—now listed as permanently closed on social media—issued a public statement disavowing Becker's actions. The statement described him as a complicated man, to say the least and expressed profound regret.
His last actions ruined every positive memory I had of him, the statement read, adding, Matt ruined everything that the team at Chuckleheads ever tried to build.
The business emphasized the tragedy's true focus: To make this tragedy about anything else than the murder of an innocent 87-year-old man is wrong and shameful. There's no convoluted cancer-medicated induced rational argument that will ever bring that dad back.
Concluding with a tribute to the victim, the statement honored Romaine Clark, whose life was brutally cut short in an act of violence that crossed state lines and left enduring scars on all involved.
