Nearly five years after the violent murder of Soldotna resident Keith Huss, the woman responsible will spend most, if not all, of her life behind bars.
Superior Court Judge Michael Wolverton on Monday sentenced 39-year-old Sarah Jane Dayan to 68 years and six months in prison for the 2020 murder of Huss—her court-appointed third-party custodian—as well as a spree of related crimes stretching from Kenai to Anchorage to Seward.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Wolverton found that Dayan executed Huss just hours after her release from jail, calling the murder a crime of domestic violence and citing her use of a firearm as an aggravating factor. Wolverton also found all of the remaining charges to be among the “worst offenses” under state law.
A jury previously convicted Dayan on 15 counts, including second-degree murder, manslaughter, burglary, vehicle theft, weapons misconduct, and violating conditions of release. Wolverton merged the manslaughter charge with the murder conviction and added another 18 years and six months for the remaining crimes.
The shooting happened Sept. 28, 2020—just hours after Huss, a Kenai local and food truck owner, picked up Dayan from Wildwood Pretrial in accordance with a judge’s order appointing him as her custodian. According to court records and trial testimony, the two planned to drive to Anchorage together to work at Huss’s food truck.
By the next morning, Huss’s body was discovered by a passing motorist at a pullout near Mile 68.5 of the Seward Highway. He had been shot multiple times with a .45 caliber pistol and run over by a vehicle.
A manhunt ensued, with Troopers tracing Dayan’s path through the Seward area using surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts. Authorities ultimately found her later that day in a parking lot near Mount Marathon, where she was attempting to hitch a ride from someone in a van. She was driving a stolen vehicle at the time and was taken into custody without incident.
At trial, the prosecution pointed to a pattern of behavior following the murder that included theft, fraud, and multiple parole violations. Investigators said Dayan showed no remorse and tried to cover her tracks in the days that followed.
The sentence includes an additional 30 years of suspended time and 10 years of supervised probation should Dayan ever be released.
Assistant Attorneys General Daniel Shorey and Tyler Jones prosecuted the case with support from Paralegal Aryel Dilley, Law Office Assistant Olivia Fowler, and lead investigator Sgt. Mark Pearson of the Alaska State Troopers.
In emotional remarks following the verdict earlier this year, Keith Huss’s brother Michael said the family was grateful to see justice served.
“It was a long jury [deliberation],” he said. “We’re just so grateful they were able to arrive at this conclusion.”
