Before I begin the crime story, let us quickly discuss America’s criminal system which runs on the Common Law System. If you break a law in the United States you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. You can either be found guilty by admission of your own guilt or through a criminal trial where you defend yourself against a state government or the federal government and are found guilty by a judge or jury beyond a reasonable doubt. Violation of criminal law can result in fines, imprisonment, or death. The basis for American criminal law is the US constitution, penal codes, and court precedent. Since the victim, in this case, was a United States resident and a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, here are some quick facts about the central Asian country. Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic holds a population of just under 6.5 million. The former USSR country capital is Bishkek, the main languages are Kyrgyz and Russian, and a large majority of the country citizen practice Islam. Today, Kyrgyzstan one of the main routes by which China exports its goods to other Central Asian countries – and is a major recipient of Chinese investment. For the US, Kyrgyzstan is seen as a beacon of the democracy it hopes to spread across the planet – and is a military ally and the primary transit point serving US troops in Afghanistan.
This crime story is bi-continental and I am ecstatic to be discussing my first American case (it only took me 22 episodes to do so)! Though this is an “American” case it is not well known. One of the reasons I believe this to be is because the victim Anastasia was a “mail-order bride”. First and foremost, I want to say Anastasia was much more than this label, today in 2021 the term is becoming more and more controversial, the term is often criticized by international marriage agencies and those who are in international relationships. I myself, who came to France to be with my former boyfriend and for graduate school have been asked once or twice my true intentions of living in France, and the term was brought up. It is important to remember that this murder took place in the year 2000 and that was what the press referred to Anastasia as.
The definition of a mail-order bride is a woman who lists herself in catalogs and is selected by a man for marriage. Historically this phenomenon started in the 1800s when American men moved out to the wide-open West, where there were no women. To satisfy this need, men wrote letters to churches back in the Eastern United States and published personal advertisements in magazines and newspapers. In return, the women would write to the men and send them photographs of themselves. Courtship was conducted by letter until a woman agreed to marry a man, she had never met. In the 20th century, the term referred to women that met their American husbands through international pen pal catalogs based in Southeast Asia. Today in the 21st century the phenomenon has primarily moved online. Popular American reality television show 90 Day Fiancé and its multiple spinoffs have friends and family members ask the international fiancés if they are mail-ordered brides. Now that I have given you some geographical and cultural background let's hop into today’s Crime Story.
Anastasia Solovieva was born December 24th, 1980 in the former USSR city Bishkek which today serves as the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Anastasia was the only child Anatoly and Alevtina Solovieva, both made a living as music teachers. Anastasia shared her parent’s passion for music and showed promise as a classical pianist. Anastasia was the top piano student at a musical college in Bishkek, graduating with honors. She spoke three languages and had worked as a travel agent, model, music tutor and translator. Though successful in Kyrgyzstan Anastasia became curious about life outside of Bishkek. Her parents encouraged this because they knew she could have great success outside of Kyrgyzstan therefore they submitted pictures of their then 17-year-old daughter in 1997 to a matchmaking service in hopes it would help her make connections in America. A relative of theirs had found an American husband through this match making service so they thought there was no harm in it. It was not long until letters and emails for Anastasia started appearing. Apparently, there were hundreds of letters wanting Anastasia’s affection. One of those letters was from a 37-year-old man in Seattle named Indle King.
Indle King Jr seemed to be living the American dream as his family had made quite a name for themselves in the pacific northwest, Indle’s father, Indle King Sr. was the CEO of Teaque Inc., a leading industrial-design firm, and his mother, Rosalie was an art professor at Western Washington University. For his part, Indle Jr. earned a master’s degree in finance from the University of Chicago in 1987 but after college Indle kept getting fired from jobs and moved to the middle of Ohio to be an adjunct professor at local colleges whilst working towards a Ph. D. In the early 1990’s Indle King placed an ad in the Moscow News inviting a female Russian student to study in America. By early 1993, he was corresponding with Ekaterina Kazakova, an 18-year-old from Siberia. That September, she came to Ohio as a visiting biology student. By October, she was married to King; she said he told her it was the only way for her to continue to study in the United States. During their marriage, Ekaterina continued her studies to become a dentist while Indle taught at the local colleges but after a year King dropped out of the doctoral program, and his teaching contracts weren't renewed. His cars were repossessed. He desperately tried to make money by investing which he would force his bride to take out loans for his investing schemes. In 1997, the two divorced with Ekaterina receiving a restraining order after telling the court that Indle assaulted her and threatened to kill her. Indle had felt that Ekaterina used him to achieve American citizenship. After his ugly, bitter divorce Indle moved back to his hometown of Seattle and started an unsuccessful investment company. You know what they say, “if it doesn’t work the first time try and try again.” Which Indle did by looking for his next bride through international mail-order and matchmaking services.
Indle King was persistent in his letters to Anastasia, “She really was hoping she would have a friend in him.” Anastasia was young and beautiful with piercing green eyes and long blonde hair and Indle was a 270-pound, nearly bald man. I mention this because Indle was always wanted to impress his peers. A friend from the high school stated that he kept his car immaculate in order to impress and as the years went on and his physical appearance declined, Indle’s way to impress was with beautiful women. His friend stated that “[Indle’s] absolute obsession was to have a blonde, Nordic, obedient woman on his arm." Not long after the ink dried on Indle’s divorce papers to Ekaterina, in December 1997 he went on a trip to Kyrgyzstan for a trip in which he presented himself to Anastasia and her parents as a successful businessman. He struck Anastasia’s father as an organized, efficient man. He impressed Anastasia’s mother with his interest in classical music and education. Anastasia’s parents had their concerns about Indle from his physical appearance to his recent divorce. But, Indle assured them his previous bride runoff in a cruel manner and promised Anastasia with a wonderful life. Filled with adventure, a good education, and that she would never want for money. Anastasia was smitten with Indle and in March 1998 she went to America for a visit. Just one month later on April 30, 1998, 37-year-old Indle and 18-year-old Anastasia went before a justice of the peace and married.
The joys of a new marriage did not last long. Anastasia quickly realized Indle was not a financially stable as he led her to believe, so they offered their spare bedrooms to rent in their Seattle suburban home. Indle was also VERY controlling of Anastasia, according to an LA Times article.
“[Indle] wanted to know where she was every minute of the day. He wouldn’t let her get a driver’s license. They argued a lot. He said he wanted children; she said she wasn’t ready. Anastasia enrolled at the University of Washington and worked long hours as a waitress and restaurant hostess. Indle took money from her account. Anastasia read books about how to save a marriage, but nothing seemed to help. By the summer of 2000, two years into their marriage, “it was warfare”. Indle was corresponding with other prospective mail-order brides. Anastasia was seeing other men and keeping a list of her husband’s transgressions. He threatened to hurt her, forced her to have sex, and forbade her from going to a counselor, she wrote in a journal that she hid in a safe-deposit box.”
A coworker of Anastasia stated she would constantly see bruises on Anastasia and one time she showed up to work with what seemed to be self-inflicted cuts on her wrist. Anastasia was depressed. In August of 2000, Anastasia decided to go home to Kyrgyzstan for a bit just to get away from Indle. She told her parents about the physical and sexual abuse and how she wanted to go back to the states and get divorced then file for a permanent residence card. Indle who stayed behind in the states had a new tenant move into the spare bedroom of his home; 21-year-old Daniel K. Larson who was a registered sex offender. Also during this month Indle was fired from his job at Costco and was cited by the police for shoplifting two bananas and a 12-pack of soda. King told an officer he was in a financial bind because his wife was divorcing him. But she wasn’t, she had taken no formal steps towards divorce but Indle filed for divorce whilst Anastasia was in Kyrgyzstan. Indle told his attorney that he had no idea where his wife was but his telephone records told a different story, as they were talking frequently.
After filing for divorce in August, King flew to Kyrgyzstan on September 18th to join his wife toward the end of her visit in which he said was in hopes to reconcile. Now we will never know what Indle said to Anastasia to get her to come back to the United States with him but just four days later they flew back and both were recorded as entering the country and took a shuttle bus to their home. It was the last day Anastasia was seen alive. Anastasia’s parents grew worried as they had not heard from their daughter and her reliable emails were not coming through. Anastasia had not returned back to her job as a restaurant hostess and stopped attending school. Concerns to the police from friends and her parents back in Kyrgyzstan caused the police to contact Indle.
Indle King initially told police he’d left his wife in Moscow, changing his story only when confronted with records that showed them clearing Customs together in Seattle but Indle insisted he had no idea where his wife was and the missing person case grew cold. Police kept a close eye on Indle and noticed he was making frequent trips to a country jail to visit his old tenant Daniel K. Larson. You see in November 2000; sex offender Daniel went back into the system by trying to have sex with a 16-year-old in a mall restroom. The police grew suspicious over these jail visits and interviewed Daniel who spilled the beans that he knew where Anastasia's body was.
Later in during the trial, it was revealed that after Indle and Anastasia returned home from the airport, Indle gave his wife a kiss and a big bear hug which signaled Daniel to tie a necktie around Anastasia’s neck. Daniel later testified on the stand that;
"[Anastasia] screamed and Indle told me to open the door, and he carried her inside the house," Daniel described the sound she made as "just a scream, in panic." She was forced to the floor, the tie still dangling from her neck, and Indle King held her down. "He told me to tighten the tie," Daniel said. Struggling for her life, Anastasia King managed to tell her husband that she had told someone Indle planned to kill her. He wanted to know who and told Larson to loosen the tie. When she refused to identify the person, "He told me to tighten the necktie again," Larson said. "I did as I was told. I twisted the necktie and kept on twisting it." He also recounted how he and King disposed of her body, first by cutting her long blond hair then wrapping it in a blanket used by the family dog, driving it to a remote area near Marysville and digging a grave.”
At trial, Larson testified that Indle King had enlisted him to kill Anastasia so he could avoid another expensive divorce like the one from his first wife, which cost him $55,000. Daniel Larson received a plea bargain of second-degree murder with an agreement to testify against Indle at trial. He received a sentence of 14-23 years in prison. His testimony along with the hard work of the investigators and the prosecution team secured the first-degree sentence for Indle G. King Jr with a life sentence in prison. Three days after the verdict was read, all but two of the jurors joined Anastasia’s parents at a graveside service. They held hands in a circle around the grave and prayed. Alevtina and Anatoly gave them each a chocolate egg, one of Anastasia’s favorite treats, and the jurors gave the parents a plaque. “In remembrance of Anastasia,” it read, “who only wished to follow her dream.”
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