Mistrial declared in jury trial of deadly 2019 Unalaska crash
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - After five days of deliberation, a mistrial was declared Friday in the case involving a man who was behind the wheel of a truck that plunged hundreds of feet down a cliff near the community of Unalaska in 2019, killing two teen girls.
Judge Thomas Matthews said in court he received word late Thursday afternoon that the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision.
“It’s simply clear that you’re not going to be able to come to your unanimous decision in this case, so I have declared a mistrial at this point in time,” Matthews said. “You should not feel any guilt at all about the fact that you did not come to a decision. You all have done the job that we asked you to do, and I can’t thank you enough for that process.”
Both the state and defense declined to comment on the case as it’s still pending, but prosecutors confirmed that a status hearing was scheduled for May 13, where it will be decided if the case will be tried for a second time.
Dustin Ruckman, 24, had been charged with two counts of criminally negligent homicide in the deaths of 16-year-old Karly McDonald and 18-year-old Kiara Renteria Haist.
Prosecutors had argued that Ruckman, who was a teenager himself at the time, negligently drove his truck off a cliffside at Unalaska’s Mount Ballyhoo in May 2019.
Ruckman allegedly drove his truck up Unalaska’s Mount Ballyhoo. McDonald and Haist were killed after Ruckman allegedly lost control of the truck, leaving the vehicle toppling over the cliffside at approximately 900 feet.
Ruckman said he was thrown from the vehicle as it was descending, but the two girls remained inside.
The parents of McDonald and Haist told Alaska’s News Source the judge’s ruling was not the outcome they were hoping for in a case that has already stretched into six years.
“I think closure is important,” Alyssa McDonald said. “It’s one thing to have a memorial for a loved one and especially a child. There is no loss like losing a child, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But I think having to endure another year or two is going to be incredibly difficult for all the families.”
“We’d hope for closure and some justice for Karly and Kiara; to walk away without a resolution is heartbreaking,” she added.
Alyssa said that despite the difficult news, she plans to continue honoring her daughter’s memory through the Angels Over Ballyhoo Scholarship Fund she set up with The Alaska Community Foundation.
Kiara’s mother, Diana Renteria, and father, Derek Haist, said that no outcome was going to bring back their daughter. They said they hope the two girls are remembered for the “beautiful people” they were.
“I failed my daughter trying to get accountability and justice, but, you know a mistrial to me means that there’s a possibility of maybe going back and trying again,” Renteria said. “I miss my daughter. I wake up every morning thinking of her, and missing her every night. So, to me this is hurtful, but I have to accept what came out of the outcome.”
Ruckman was initially indicted in June 2020 for several charges, including two counts of manslaughter, two counts of criminally negligent homicide, and one count of reckless driving. Those charges were reduced in 2024 to two counts of criminally negligent homicide.
Judge Thomas Matthews declared the mistrial Friday morning.
Judge Matthews moved the trial from Unalaska to Anchorage after there was a lack of impartial jurors available.
During closing arguments on Monday, state prosecutor Patrick McKay Jr. said that Ruckman was lucky to be alive but ultimately, responsible for the girls’ deaths.
Defense Attorney Julia Moudy argued that Ruckman was civilly responsible for the girls’ deaths as the driver, but not criminally.
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