Press Release
Endeavor Riley Sentenced to Serve 40 Years for 2023 Murder of His Wife
May 29, 2026
(Fairbanks, AK) –On May 28, 2026, Superior Court Judge Bennett sentenced Endeavor Ryan Riley to 70 years with 30 suspended for the Murder in the Second Degree.
In the early morning hours of April 23, 2023, Riley, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Wainwright, beat and strangled his wife, Kayla Kugtsun, killing her at their apartment in south Fairbanks. On Sept. 4, 2025, Riley pleaded guilty to a single count of Murder in the Second Degree with an agreed upon sentencing range of between 15-40 years of active jail time with the rest of the sentence being open to the sentencing judge.
Judge Bennett found that Riley’s minimal criminal history (he had a single conviction for a misdemeanor criminal mischief the summer before) was outweighed by the seriousness of the crime. Judge Bennett found that Riley committed multiple assaults and at least one prior strangulation over the course of that night, while heavily intoxicated, before culminating in the strangulation that caused the death of his wife, Kayla. The judge reviewed the serious injuries noted in the medical examiner’s report, and commented on the length of time it takes to strangle a person to death, meaning that Riley could have stopped short of killing his wife by stopping his strangulation sooner.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Crail, with the assistance of paralegal Allison Watega and other members of the Fairbanks District Attorney’s Office. It was investigated by the Fairbanks Police Department, with former Fairbanks Police Detective Caleb Reuter as the primary investigating officer.
The Fairbanks District Attorney’s Office thanks the Fairbanks Police Department and its investigators, whose work on the case was directly responsible for the just results obtained. Fairbanks District Attorney Joe Dallaire noted “The sentence reflects the heinousness of the crime and the scourge of domestic violence in our community. Our thoughts remain with Ms. Kugtsun’s family.”
CONTACT: District Attorney Joe Dallaire at (907) 451-5970 or joe.dallaire@alaska.gov.
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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.
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