Comedy club owner with terminal cancer guns down ex-in-law, hunts ex-wife before turning up dead

A man suspected of killing his former father-in-law and trying to murder his ex-wife in Anchorage, Alaska, has been found dead following a daylong search by authorities.

Anchorage police had been looking for 61-year-old Mathew Thomas Becker after a shooting on Saturday, March 14. Investigators said Becker fatally shot his ex-father-in-law, Romaine Clark, and also fired at his ex-wife outside the hair salon she owns.

According to authorities, Becker first confronted his ex-wife as she arrived at work Saturday morning. Police say he pulled up beside her in a vehicle, got out, and began shooting as she attempted to unlock the doors to her salon. She managed to avoid the gunfire and called 911, telling dispatchers she was concerned about Clark’s safety.

Officers later responded to Clark’s home on Alder Drive. Shortly after the 9:30 a.m. emergency call, police found Clark inside the residence suffering from a gunshot wound.

Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case said early evidence indicated the suspect went to the back of the home and fired several shots through a plate-glass window, striking Clark before fleeing. Friends who had planned to meet Clark discovered his body inside the house shortly before officers arrived and alerted police.

Investigators said Becker had previously moved to Arizona after divorcing his ex-wife, and she told police she was unaware he had returned to Alaska.

The shootings led police to launch a manhunt across the Anchorage area. The search ended Sunday morning when authorities found Becker’s body in a wooded area in Eagle River around 10:30 a.m. Officials said they are still determining the cause and manner of his death.

Family members told reporters Becker had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. His brother said Becker had been living in Arizona and owned a comedy club there called Chuckleheads.

The Anchorage Police Department did not immediately provide additional comment.