A Ketchikan Grand Jury on Thursday handed down an indictment of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence against 42-year-old Joshua Kenneth Bliss.
Bliss was charged last Friday for allegedly killing 55-year-old Richard Branda on the evening of Oct. 5. According to the complaint filed by the Ketchikan Police Department, Branda was found dead on Water Street the morning of Oct. 6 with a large stab wound in his neck.
Bliss called the police station later that day and allegedly told officers that he had stabbed Branda the previous night, and threw the knife into the ocean.
As a result of Thursday’s indictment, preliminary hearing for Bliss scheduled Friday morning in Ketchikan District Court has been cancelled. He instead will be arraigned on the felony charges at 8:30 a.m. Monday in Ketchikan Superior Court.
Bliss remains in custody at Ketchikan Correctional Center on $250,000 bail.
