Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Homer resident Lee John Henry, 55, listens during an omnibus hearing Monday, Nov. 21, 2016 in Kenai Superior Court in Kenai, Alaska. Henry was indicted Oct. 20 on murder and robbery charges for the 2013 death of Mark Matthews in Homer.

Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Homer resident Lee John Henry, 55, listens during an omnibus hearing Monday, Nov. 21, 2016 in Kenai Superior Court in Kenai, Alaska. Henry was indicted Oct. 20 on murder and robbery charges for the 2013 death of Mark Matthews in Homer.

Trial date set for Homer man charged with murder

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the day of Lee Henry’s court appearance in Kenai, on Monday.

 

A Homer man accused of the city’s only previously unsolved murder appeared in Kenai Superior Court on Monday.

Lee John Henry, 55, is charged in the 2013 death of Mark Matthews, then 61, near the Poopdeck Trail in Homer. He was indicted by a grand jury on Oct. 20 on one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, one count of manslaughter and one count of first-degree robbery. Homer police arrested him for first-degree murder on Oct. 19 after the department got a tip from an area resident, the Homer News reported.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Henry appeared at the Kenai Courthouse on Monday for an omnibus hearing, where his public defender told Kenai Superior Court Judge Charles Huguelet that Henry’s defense does not have discovery yet. Kenai District Attorney Scot Leaders told the court that the state had just sent initial discovery over to the defense Monday after working on it earlier in the day.

“It’s just the initial packet,” Leaders told the court. “There’s substantial additional discovery. It’s to the nature of several thousand pages, just to give a heads up.”

Henry agreed to waive the speedy trial rule, and Huguelet set his trial for the week of Jan. 23, with a trial call on Jan. 17. His next omnibus hearing is set for Dec. 12.

Murder in the first and second degrees is an unclassified felony. First-degree murder is punishable by up to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000.

Manslaughter and first-degree robbery are class A felonies, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

 

Megan Pacer can be reached at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Children leap forward to grab candy during a Fourth of July parade on South Willow Street in Kenai, Alaska, on July 4, 2025. (Photo courtesy Sarah Every)
Celebrating the 4th in the streets

Kenai comes out for annual Independence Day parade.

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

Robert Weaver was last seen at the Doroshin Bay public use cabin on June 25, 2025. (Photo provided by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Kenai wildlife refuge seeking information on missing man

Robert Weaver was last seen near Skilak Lake on June 25.

The Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team conducts a training mission in Seward, Alaska in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team
Anchor Point fundraiser to benefit Alaska rescue and recovery group

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 2016.

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic staff (left to right) Angie Holland, RN; Jane Rohr, Sonja Martin Young, CNM; Robin Holmes, MD; and Cherie Bole, CMA provide an array of reproductive and sexual health services. (Photo provided by KBFPC)
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic releases report on STI trends on the Kenai Peninsula

The report pulls from data gathered from 2024 to early 2025.

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Traffic passes by South Spruce Street in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai drops effort to rename South Spruce Street

The resolution would have changed the name to make it clear which road led to North Kenai Beach

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress fourth grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy calls special session for August

Lawmakers on Wednesday said they were surprised by the move.

Most Read