Man guilty of killing mail-order bride

A man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2000 strangulation of another man's mail-order bride.

Tuesday's verdict was Daniel Kristopher Larson's second prosecution for the death of Anastasia King, a native of Kyrgyzstan.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2002 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, he violated the terms of the plea agreement when he tried to have his conviction thrown out, allowing prosecutors to bring a first-degree murder charge.

Sentencing was set for Feb. 14. He faces a term of 26 to nearly 35 years, Deputy Prosecutor Janice Albert said.

In this trial, jurors heard Larson's own words in confessions and his testimony when he testified against Indle King Jr. in 2002. He said he followed King's directions when he wrapped a necktie around the neck of Anastasia King, who met her husband through an international marriage broker, and twisted it for four minutes until she stopped breathing.

Larson's lawyer, Karen Halverson, said evidence showed Larson, who rented a room in the King home, was under Indle King's control. "He did what he was told," Halverson said.

King was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 29 years.