Dean Cummings charged with murder

[Tricia]

Dean Cummings, extreme skier and owner/operator of H2O Heli Guides, is facing three charges; first degree murder, tampering with evidence, and concealing identity, however Dean claims self-defense in a shooting that killed Guillermo Arriola on February 29, but police say it was murder.
I can't imagine going from the heights of ski movie athlete, Powder Magazine's line of the year recipient, owner and operator of one of the longest running Alaskan Heli guide operations, to someone facing such serious charges.
Sad.


See more in this article at Outsideonline.com

Legendary Skier Dean Cummings Charged with Murder

The former U.S. Ski Team member is accused of killing a man in New Mexico

www.outsideonline.com

 

[Scruffy]

Wow. Sad event even if it was, as he claims, self defense.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Did Cummings lose H2O Heli Guides? Is that what the Youtube series is about?

 

[Tricia]

Did Cummings lose H2O Heli Guides? Is that what the Youtube series is about?

I'm not sure if he lost it to someone or if it went under
His series can be seen here. Its crazy!
I've only started watching the series and I'm blown away by what he's been through over the years if all of this is true. (not doubting his feed, but its kind of unbelievable, if you know what I mean.)


Interesting enough, while at SIA in 2017, @DoryBreaux and @Philpug talked to Dean about an advertising package here and offing a discount to pugski members, but the communication dropped after the show.

 

[HardDaysNight]

There have been many reports of him accepting multi-thousand dollar deposits on heli-skiing trips and then not showing, stranding clients in Anchorage. Reading between the lines he may have had some sort of psychiatric event, or perhaps he was crazy all along and decompensated.

 

[Tricia]

There have been many reports of him accepting multi-thousand dollar deposits on heli-skiing trips and then not showing, stranding clients in Anchorage. Reading between the lines he may have had some sort of psychiatric event, or perhaps he was crazy all along and decompensated.

There may be more to the story.
We just don't know.

This is just very interesting and sad.

*I'm not defending him nor am I throwing him under the bus. I'm just in shock.

If you watch his youtube feed, he talks about how he was naive and "taken" by people who syphoned off money from heli clients that left him high and dry without helicopters for paid clients. It took him a while before he knew what was going on. There is something that just seems *off*.

I will say, I know a lot of talented people who know their "gig" but they aren't savvy enough to do business doing their "gig"
Perhaps Dean is that guy who knew the business of heli guiding but not heli guide business.
That could have left him open to be "taken" by someone in the position to do so.

 

[Bad Bob]

A really sad tale about the life of a rockstar. He just played a different instrument.

 

[Supergaper]

Synopsis of 10 pages at TGR on the videos/murder charges

Youtube videos thread started 1/19, most thought it strange and many related that maybe there was a cabal aligned against him, small town politics etc.

9/19 podcast for "targeted individuals" posted with interview w Dean, where he says US military changed the frequency of his avalanche transceiver and chipped him.

3/5 Scott Gaffney posts the link to news of the murder

Yesterday Kevin Quinn from PNH posts that Dean was a not so nice person, in stronger language than that

Seconded by Grant Gunderson, longtime ski photographer

I am good friends with Allie Meiners who owns Alaska Rendevous heli ski op and she said he was increasingly erratic over the last few years. Luckily her operation is 45 miles from Valdez so no direct conflict with him, as others had.

Clearly a paranoid schizophrenic. And apparently an abusive egotist as well.

 

[Tricia]

Kevin Quinn from PNH

Funny, I know the Quinns, and have skied with Jessica Sobolowski Quinn a few times, so I have worn their swag a few times over the years. While skiing JacksonHole 7 years ago someone who's an advocate of H2O made a comment to me about how Points North was infringing on H2O and messing up permits, among other things. I shrugged it off because I really don't know anything about such things other than the Quinns have never been anything but nice to me.

 

[crgildart]

Synopsis of 10 pages at TGR on the videos/murder charges

Youtube videos thread started 1/19, most thought it strange and many related that maybe there was a cabal aligned against him, small town politics etc.

9/19 podcast for "targeted individuals" posted with interview w Dean, where he says US military changed the frequency of his avalanche transceiver and chipped him.

3/5 Scott Gaffney posts the link to news of the murder

Yesterday Kevin Quinn from PNH posts that Dean was a not so nice person, in stronger language than that

Seconded by Grant Gunderson, longtime ski photographer

I am good friends with Allie Meiners who owns Alaska Rendevous heli ski op and she said he was increasingly erratic over the last few years. Luckily her operation is 45 miles from Valdez so no direct conflict with him, as others had.

Clearly a paranoid schizophrenic. And apparently an abusive egotist as well.

CTE?

 

[Posaune]

Sad for Cummings, true. But much sadder for Guillermo Arriola and his family.

Guillermo D. Arriola, age 47, a lifelong resident of Placitas, NM, was born on January 7, 1973, and has now gone to be with his beloved mother and brothers on Sunday, March 1, 2020.


Guillermo was a treasured son, brother, uncle and friend. He was a successful businessman, an ambitious rancher and farmer, an avid hunter, and a pathfinder. Guillermo always aspired to improve himself and his business, and was always researching and planning his next endeavor. He never settled for mediocre. Guillermo loved to ride his horse Corona, which was his "baby", and get kisses from his dog Blue. He loved having company out to his ranch while enjoying a cold beer and watching the sunset on the Rio Puerco.


Guillermo never hesitated to lend a helping hand, and was well known and loved in his community and by his devoted customers. He loved his family and friends more than anything, and would be there for them in a instant if they needed him. Guillermo also liked to argue with his sisters because , well, that's just what a younger brother did. Guillermo loved to be the life of the party. You could always count on him to be the jokester. His laugh was contagious, and if you weren't laughing with him, it only made him try harder to make you laugh. Losing Guillermo will forever leave an irreparable wound in the hearts of all who loved him.


Guillermo was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Arriola; his brothers, Reynaldo (Ray) Arriola Sr., and Edward (Eddie) Arriola.


Guillermo is survived by his loving father, Willie (Guillermo) Arriola; sister and brother-in-law, Lorraine and Richard Chavez, Sr., their adult children, Richard Chavez, Jr. and Sandra Chavez, sister and brother-in-law, Denie (Viola) and Floyd Jaramillo, their adult children, Gilbert (Kristin) Jaramillo, Monica Jaramillo, Anthony (Monique) Jaramillo, Jennifer Jaramillo, sister, Renee Arriola, her adult daughter, Alexandria Arriola, sister and brother-in-law, Enadine and Randy Barnes, Sr., their adult children, Crystal Barnes (Guillermo's Goddaughter), and Randy Barnes, Jr., sister-in-law, Mary Lou Arriola, her adult children, Ray Jr. (Vicky) Arriola, Adrian (Tarah) Arriola, Alicia Arriola; and 16 great nieces and nephews.

 

[James]

Not sure how I missed this. I ran into the Outside Magazine article looking for something else.

The trial will start jury selection this November.
Serious mental illness. Good thing his wife took the kids and fled Alaska. They all could’ve ended up dead. Too bad she took her name off the bank accounts to placate his paranoia. He took all the money.

The Final Descent of Dean Cummings

From the outside, things seemed perfect for the former world extreme skiing champion: he had a family, a successful guiding business, and unending adventure out his front door in Valdez, Alaska. But something dark festered beneath the surface.

www.outsideonline.com

 

[chilehed]

Oh my, what a horrible story.

 

[East Coast Scott]

Not sure how I missed this. I ran into the Outside Magazine article looking for something else.

The trial will start jury selection this November.
Serious mental illness. Good thing his wife took the kids and fled Alaska. They all could’ve ended up dead. Too bad she took her name off the bank accounts to placate his paranoia. He took all the money.

The Final Descent of Dean Cummings

From the outside, things seemed perfect for the former world extreme skiing champion: he had a family, a successful guiding business, and unending adventure out his front door in Valdez, Alaska. But something dark festered beneath the surface.

www.outsideonline.com

Wow, after reading this and watching the other YouTube video, not only was disturbed later in life but seems too always have had some major issues. A really sad story.

 

[James]

Wow, after reading this and watching the other YouTube video, not only was disturbed later in life but seems too always have had some major issues. A really sad story.

Very sad.
Also disturbing is the number of people entertaining in the last few years, as possibly true, his bizarre conspiracy ramblings. Especially against the wife.

He may try to claim self defense if his lawyer can’t talk him into some sort of insanity plea. We’ll see.
An interview in 2020 from jail-

————————
Cummings said he confronted Arriola about the syndicate, which the skier claims uses nanobacteria made from pumice silica in people’s bloodstream as a magnetic means of tracking digital signatures – “terrorism basically with 5G and Blue Tooth once it’s in your cells …”

Cummings demanded of Arriola: “Are you involved with this [expletive]? Are these nano-pawns on your property?” That’s when he said Arriola attacked him.

“He just jumps at me and goes, ‘[expletive], I’m going to kill you,’” Cummings said. “And he has a canister in his hand and … it was some sort of deadly [expletive]. He’s like, ‘I got bodies buried on the property, [expletive], I’m gonna kill you,’ and he attacks me.”…
——————————-

Dean Cummings extreme: A jailhouse interview with ski pioneer, accused murderer - Real Vail

Editor’s note: On Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, Dean Cummings was found not guilty of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. His attorneys successfully argued he shot and killed Guillermo Arriola in self-defense. Editor’s note 2: District Attorney Lemuel Martinez provided the following update...

www.realvail.com

 

[scott43]

Mental illness is a terrible thing..

 

[cantunamunch]

*steals term nano-pawns*

 

[Lorenzzo]

Leaving the scene, concealing identity and tampering with evidence, if true, makes a self-defense defense problematic. That said, if we’ve learned anything, what gets reported and what actually happened are often very different.

 

[fatbob]

Read this today for the first time. Upsetting for all concerned. No doubt some things do get blown out of proportion in small town AK but it's clear he had friends but wouldn't take help or advice from them

 

[no edge]

Very sad.
Also disturbing is the number of people entertaining in the last few years, as possibly true, his bizarre conspiracy ramblings. Especially against the wife.

He may try to claim self defense if his lawyer can’t talk him into some sort of insanity plea. We’ll see.
An interview in 2020 from jail-

————————
Cummings said he confronted Arriola about the syndicate, which the skier claims uses nanobacteria made from pumice silica in people’s bloodstream as a magnetic means of tracking digital signatures – “terrorism basically with 5G and Blue Tooth once it’s in your cells …”

Cummings demanded of Arriola: “Are you involved with this [expletive]? Are these nano-pawns on your property?” That’s when he said Arriola attacked him.

“He just jumps at me and goes, ‘[expletive], I’m going to kill you,’” Cummings said. “And he has a canister in his hand and … it was some sort of deadly [expletive]. He’s like, ‘I got bodies buried on the property, [expletive], I’m gonna kill you,’ and he attacks me.”…
——————————-

Dean Cummings extreme: A jailhouse interview with ski pioneer, accused murderer - Real Vail

Editor’s note: On Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, Dean Cummings was found not guilty of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. His attorneys successfully argued he shot and killed Guillermo Arriola in self-defense. Editor’s note 2: District Attorney Lemuel Martinez provided the following update...

www.realvail.com

at 2020 - insane terrain!