(Fairbanks, AK) – Monday, Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Patricia Haines sentenced 62-year-old Robert Bridges to 75 years to serve for the 2021 murder of his wife, Kimberly Bridges.

Bridges reported his wife was last seen Oct. 24, 2021, leaving their residence with a couple in a green Subaru. He provided an account of his days that was contradicted by independent evidence. On May 25, 2022, a tour group discovered Kimberly Bridges’ body around Mile 47 of the Dalton Highway. Kimberly, 64, had been shot in the back of the head and her body wrapped in bedding and a tarp.

In November 2024, a Fairbanks jury found Robert Bridges guilty of Murder in the First Degree, Murder in the Second Degree, and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
At sentencing, the Murder in the Second-Degree conviction merged into a single conviction for Murder in the First Degree. Accordingly, the court was permitted to sentence Bridges to active imprisonment between 30 years and 99 years for the murder. The State requested a sentence of 75 years flat for Murder in the First Degree and three years flat for Tampering with Physical Evidence. Bridges requested a sentence of 30 years flat on the murder conviction.

Judge Haines found Robert Bridges engaged in a months-long campaign to conceal the murder and mislead authorities, as well as Kimberly Bridges’ loved ones. She further stated the way Kimberly Bridges’ body was dumped deprived her of any dignity. Judge Haines sentenced Robert Bridges to 75 years to serve for Murder in the First Degree and two years flat for Tampering with Physical Evidence, to be served concurrently.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kathryn Mason with the assistance of Paralegal Jaboha Smothers and Law Office Assistant Caleb Cooper.

Fairbanks District Attorney Joe Dallaire said “the facts surrounding this case are chillingly abhorrent. Robert Bridges’ conduct is among the most condemnable imaginable. Although today’s sentence speaks to that, it can never right the wrong that was done. Our hearts go out to the loved ones Kimberly Bridges left behind.” DA Dallaire thanks ADA Mason, Paralegal Smothers, LOA Cooper, and the Alaska State Troopers for their hard work and dedication to this case, assuring justice for the victim and the community.

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