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Issue 26, Fall 2004
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Additional Case Information Gathered by Private Investigator Rollie Port, 2000 Excerpts from a letter to Commissioner Glenn Godfrey, Juneau, AK, February 2001 The following information concerns the current incarceration of Donald McDonald for the kidnapping and murder of Laura Henderson Ibach. There is a very real possibility that Mr. McDonald is in fact in prison for a crime he did not commit. This is a tragic story involving a broken a broken marriage, drugs, assumptions, leaps to conclusions not supported by evidence, a very inadequate investigation and, finally, the incarceration of Mr. McDonald. There have been many theories projected by the State's Department of Law on how the murder was committed and who was responsible for it. There are conspiracy theories involving a corrupt Kodiak Police Department (which has had numerous Federal, State, and local investigations for corruption). There are also allegations of key businessmen being involved in the corruption and involved in numerous drug activities. Although some or all of this may play a part in the conviction of Mr. McDonald for murder, I would like to deal with the facts. In the later part of 1984 Laura Henderson Ibach and her husband, Jack, lived with their children in Kodiak. They were going through a contested divorce where the custody of the children as well as asset distribution were issues. Ms. Ibach hired attorney Matt Jamin of Kodiak to represent her. Mr. Ibach hired William Ford. Mr. Ibach sued for divorce on November 12, 1984. At the time of Ms. Henderson's disappearance a judge had not yet ruled on the custody matter. The children's guardian-ad-litem had recommended full custody be awarded Mr. Ibach. Ms. Henderson's psychologist recommended shared custody. My investigation revealed that Mr. McDonald had known Laura Ibach for years. They had been introduced to each other by Jay Buckalew. Mr. McDonald was an acquaintance and friend of Ms. Ibach's. They had dated three times in the past. At the time of Laura's disappearance Mr. McDonald was staying at an alcohol recovery group home where he had gone to stay voluntarily after his drinking had become a problem. Mr. McDonald owned a white Dodge cargo van which was not in good repair. The drive shaft on the van was wired together and it shook at speeds over 35mph. On March 28, 1986 Laura Henderson reported to her attorney and told him that she received a call from a man in possession of a tape recording which would help her get custody of her kids. Allegedly the tape was of a conversation between two prominent Kodiak businessmen and Jack Ibach. An unknown person was providing the tape to Laura. The recorded conversation concerned illegal drugs. The unidentified man explained that he was helping Laura because Jack Ibach had burned him on a $20,000.000 deal and he wanted to get even. Cathy Wilson, a co-worker of Laura's, later told the police that the only way Laura could identify this man was that he drove a white van. Further, that a friend of Wilson's, Tom Healy, told her and Laura that Jack Ibach was involved in a $20,000.00 drug deal. (People have assumed that because Laura was seen with McDonald he must be the mystery man Laura was going to get the tape from.) Cathy Wilson was Laura's best friend and talked to Laura immediately after this stranger had talked to Laura. There was no mention of a "Matt McDonald" in her March 29, 1986 statement to the police. Cathy Wilson was one of several persons who searched for a white van in the downtown area and observed McDonald's van at the Hope House across from where Laura worked. She was even asked by the police department to watch it. Suzanne Hinson was a co-worker with Laura. Suzanne supposedly identified Laura's visitor as a person by the name of Matt who drove a white van. Laura also then told her story of the drug deal. (This statement was given after the evening's events and after Ruble had told her that Laura was last seen in McDonald's van. Janet Carter, a third co-worker, saw a man matching McDonald's description visit Laura at work. She assumed that this person was the same person who identified himself as Matt or Mac earlier in the day when he called on the phone. McDonald did stop and see Laura, there is no question of this. I have to ask myself why a contract killer would boldly contact Laura, with witnesses present, then meet her later, again in public, and kidnap her. Laura had an appointment with Matt Jamin that same afternoon. A private investigator by the name of Al Ruble was requested to conduct surveillance the evening of March 28, 1986, along cannery row. Although Laura had never mentioned Matt McDonald to anyone up to that point Mr. Ruble, after the fact, told the police that Laura had told him that she was meeting a person by the name of "Matt McDonald." Ruble was caught in this lie during grand jury.
Ruble observed Laura in the front seat of McDonald's van laughing with him. He then went out of sight and when he returned the van was gone and he could not see Laura. He did not check any of the bars in the harbor area but rather just assumed Laura had been kidnapped. As a matter of fact while Ruble observed Laura with McDonald, Jack Iback was only 800 feet away having just come into the harbor area on the Kodiak King tug boat. Ruble, while conducting surveillance never saw Mr. Ibach until a half hour later at which time Ibach was driving a white Ford Bronco. The police's theory was initially that Laura had been killed and her body dumped into the inner harbor in Kodiak. The theory later changed when a white van was seen that evening out in Bells Flat. The theory changed a third time when clothing started appearing on Monashka Bay. After the film was developed from McDonald's camera it showed he had once been at a cabin which overlooked Monashka Bay. Going with the last theory, Laura would have been kidnapped shortly after 9:00pm, driven 9 miles out an icy road then carried or walked several hundred yards to a bluff overlooking Monashka bay, killed, then her 165 - 180 lb. body thrown over the bluff into the bay. The log-in sheet at the group home showed McDonald being there at 10:00 pm. A witness by the name of Jim Clyde positively identified McDonald as being at the group home at 10:45 pm and in fact watched a movie with him. I personally drove from where McDonald was last seen parked and used the most direct route to drive to the point where the police theorized Laura's body was thrown over the bluff. Traveling at the speed limit it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes round trip. There are 5 separate witnesses who said that McDonald was home between 9:50pm and 10:00pm and the log shows other people logging in after McDonald at 10:00pm. McDonald's vehicle was not in good repair. The drive shaft was wired to the transmission and the van could not be driven over 35mph. This was verified in testimony. The speed limit on the road to Monashka bay is 55mph. How would it be possible for McDonald to kidnap Laura, drive to Monashka Bay, kill and disrobe her, throw her body over the cliff and then be back at the recovery house by 10:00pm? The police, when questioning Donald McDonald at the recovery house, referred to Laura as Laura Henderson confusing McDonald temporarily. Donald McDonald knows Laura as Laura Ibach. McDonald had been asleep in his room for four hours when Palmer contacted him in the middle of the night. Once McDonald realized who the police were talking about, he became frightened they were investigating Laura for drug usage and initially denied seeing her that night. McDonald did admit to seeing Laura that night after the Police told him that Laura was seen in his van. McDonald, being caught in this lie fueled the fires for further assumptions and false speculation. McDonald told the Police that Laura was in the van, however, she had gotten out moments later. This is supported by James Kerwin. At this point in the questioning of McDonald at the recovery house, there is a difference in what McDonald remembers and what Sergeant Palmer and Al Ruble remember. McDonald adamantly denies that he ever told anyone he went around the block with Laura and then let her out. James Kerwin's testimony supports this as well. Palmer states this is what McDonald told him. Al Ruble states he overheard McDonald tell Sgt Palmer that McDonald went around the block with Laura then let her out. I have been to the location Ruble allegedly heard the comment from and not only could I not hear any conversation taking place, I could not even see who was talking. Mr Ruble testified at Grand Jury he could not hear anything but later at the 1st Trial, stated he overheard the conversation. It is a fair statement that my investigation and review of the records disclosed that Al Ruble lied when he stated he heard the conversation between Sgt Palmer and Donald McDonald. Eight months after Laura disappeared and several days before the murder trial Sergeant Michael Andre of the Kodiak Police Department called a psychic hotline he had seen advertised in a magazine. The psychic, over the telephone, supposedly tells Andre that he should search the front of the van again. The van is searched again and an earring similar to the one Laura wore was found dangling from a speaker wire above the gas pedal. This is after Officer Rhodes and Officer Walton spent 20 hours looking for evidence in this van immediately after it was impounded on March 29, 1986. They had removed everything from the van and did not find an earring. The state's crime lab also searched the van and did not find an earring. This is also after the van had been moved from the secured police impound lot. I have reviewed the FBI reports concerning hair and fibre analysis which was done on all of McDonald's and Kerwin's clothing, their persons, the interior of the van and virtually everything in the van. The FBI did not find one drop of blood, not one hair or fibre, that came from Laura or anything she was wearing. The Alaska State Trooper's lab found no finger prints or palm prints belonging to Laura, although they found nearly 60 others. This does not support the state's theory that a major fight took place in the van. The lack of any physical evidence in the van does not support that theory at all. The state's theory was that a rear window of McDonald's van was broken, therefore there must have been a struggle. Investigation revealed that the window was broken before the van was sold to Mr. McDonald by Jay Buckalew. Although there were two footprints on a folder inside of McDonald's van the state neglected to have them match the two tennis shoes that were found near Monashka Bay. One of the most troubling items in this report is how a jury could find James Kerwin, who was with McDonald during the time Laura was in his van, not guilty. Mr. Kerwin is now dead so could not be interviewed. I learned from Kathy Jackson Murray that James Kerwin wrote a letter prior to his death stating that McDonald had nothing to do with the murder of Laura Henderson Ibach. In this eight page handwritten summary of events James Kerwin was clearly bothered by the fact he could not testify as an alibi for McDonald in the first trial. He could not do this because he was also indicted in the murder. After Kerwin's acquittal he could have accepted all responsibility for the murder of Laura Henderson and not have been convicted, but he did not. He didn't because he maintains that he and McDonald are not guilty. Kerwin explained in this letter that it was himself who had possession of a .357 handgun. He also explained that he had given that gun to Jack Ibach so that it would not be on the F.V. Nordby while he was there because he was drinking on the boat. At some point Ibach returned the weapon to Kerwin who gave it to McDonald for safekeeping. This appears to be an honest explanation regarding the weapon from a man who had nothing to gain or loose by lying. Lastly, I would like to state that there never was a connection between McDonald and Jack Ibach. The police went over the assets of both persons and revealed no financial exchanges whatsoever. Not one! In this summary I have attempted to stay away from the conspiracy theories and only deal with the facts. From the beginning I think that small assumptions were made and that those assumptions snow balled. There was no turning back until these snow balls avalanched into a conviction of Donald McDonald. Sincerely, Rollie A. Port Rollie Port Investigations, Inc. Private Investigator Click here for a Printer Friendly View of the Combined PI Investigation Reports
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