Room service helps kidnapped woman escape hotel, Alaska officials say
A man accused of kidnapping and repeatedly strangling a woman at a hotel was found guilty of multiple charges after a trial in Alaska, prosecutors said.
Martin Hietala, 41, was convicted of kidnapping, along with three counts of first-degree assault, the Alaska Department of Law said in a May 15 news release.
He was acquitted of five counts of first-degree sexual assault, prosecutors said.
McClatchy News reached out to his attorney May 20 and was awaiting a response.
Hietala is accused of restraining a woman in a hotel in Fairbanks in July 2018, prosecutors said. He strangled the woman repeatedly, twice to the point of unconsciousness, “while he interrogated her about spying applications that he asserted she had placed within his cellphone,” according to prosecutors.
He blindfolded her using duct tape and plastic bags, and “continued to assault her with his fists and objects, inflicting injuries across her body,” prosecutors said.
The woman fled after room service workers showed up, according to prosecutors, who didn’t say how or if Hietala and the woman knew each other.
Hietala faces five to 99 years behind bars, prosecutors said.
He’s scheduled to be sentenced in November.
This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 12:37 PM with the headline "Room service helps kidnapped woman escape hotel, Alaska officials say."
.JPG)