'Evil' Alaskan serial killer responsible for five deaths found dead in prison cell

Alaska serial killer Joshua Wade, who was convicted for the murder of five people, has died in an Indiana prison, as confirmed by the state's Department of Corrections. Officials at the prison reported that the notorious murderer was "found unresponsive in his cell at the Indiana State Prison."

Brandi Pahl, a spokesperson for the department, stated that attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. "Despite life-saving measures being performed, he was pronounced dead."

Wade had been transferred to the federal prison in Indiana roughly a decade ago after being convicted of various crimes in Alaska, following a deal between state and federal prosecutors. The murderer had a troubled history, with reports indicating he spent most of his teenage years in juvenile detention.

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In 2000, Wade killed Della Brown and left her body in a shed in Spenard. He later admitted to committing another murder on the same night, reports the Mirror . It is reported that Wade showed Brown's body to several people, yet he managed to evade charges of sexual assault and murder.

He was eventually found guilty of witness tampering. Wade continued his criminal activities, murdering another person in 2007 just as he finished probation for Brown's case. His victim was Mindy Schloss, a nurse practitioner and his neighbour in Sand Lake.

Schloss's demise was shrouded in mystery initially as her remains were undiscovered for over a month. The prosecution described the horrific events, stating that the young woman endured torture before Wade unleashed a barrage of bullets into her.

"The fact that he chose to kill again, and kill quickly, demonstrates his indifference to human life, his inability to be rehabilitated, and his omnipresent danger to society," the prosecutors asserted in court filings at the time.

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Wade faced a litany of state and federal charges for Nurse's slaying, resulting in multiple life sentences under a plea deal where he admitted to Brown's murder. Housed at Spring Creek Correctional Center, Alaska's most secure penitentiary, Wade eventually brokered another agreement with authorities. He owned up to three additional cold case homicides in return for serving his remaining years outside of Alaska.

He disclosed to officials his first killing: John Micheal Martin, 38, back in 1994 when Wade was merely 14. He also acknowledged the murder of Henry Ongtowasruk, 30, in 1999, noting both victims had mental health struggles.

Lastly, Wade confessed to taking another life on the same night he ended Brown's, as per an FBI announcement. The reasons behind Wade's request for a transfer to another federal prison outside Alaska, as well as the timing of his move to the Indiana facility, remain unknown. An autopsy is currently being conducted on his body.

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