Noatak man convicted of murder in 2020 crowbar beating of wife

KOTZEBUE, Alaska (KTUU) - Last week a Kotzebue jury convicted a man of second-degree murder and first-degree assault in what his defense team referred to as a crime of passion.

Noatak resident Jim Adams, 44, was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, 31-year-old Rhonda Adams, and of first-degree assault of his cousin, Charlie Bailey III.

According to a press release from the Department of Law, Adams awoke on the morning of June 27, 2020, to find his wife was not in their residence. Adams searched for and eventually located his wife at the residence of his cousin Charlie Bailey III.

Adams, while carrying a crowbar, kicked in the door to his cousin’s house and then the door to its arctic entry. Adams then swung the crowbar at his wife as his cousin Bailey stepped in between them and attempted to block the weapon with his left arm. The weapon struck Bailey and broke his arm before he fell to the floor unconscious.

Adams then struck his wife more than 100 times with the crowbar, killing her, the release said.

During the beating, Adams removed the clothes his wife was wearing and removed them from the scene. He later claimed he found his wife in bed with his cousin. The blood-soaked clothing of both Adams and his wife was later found at their residence. Adams was also spotted wearing an orange sweatshirt that was found to have DNA of both of his victims on the sleeves.

Sentencing for Adams is scheduled for Jan. 22 of next year.

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