Anastasia’s light shines on foreign-born brides

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, December 21, 2005

A measure of good has finally come from the tragic death of Anastasia King.

Congress last week approved a law that would restrict the number of times American men could seek foreign-born brides by applying for visas and implement regulations that will protect mail-order brides from abuse.

Few crimes have touched the hearts and minds of Snohomish County citizens as the strangulation death of King in September 2000. As her story was publicized, citizens all across the nation, and worldwide, shared in the sadness and horror of her murder.

King was a mail-order bride from the nation of Kyrgyzstan in the former Soviet Union. She was 18 when she decided to seek a husband through a broker. She was smart, educated, talented, hard-working and beautiful. Her parents encouraged her to seek a better life in the United States when Indle King Jr. pursued her to be his bride.

Anastasia King had no way of knowing her husband-to-be had beat the head of his first wife, also a mail-order bride, against a wall and threatened to kill her. She was so scared of him she obtained a protective order before getting a divorce in 1997.

Like the first Mrs. King, Anastasia King was planning to divorce her abusive husband. He and Dan Larson strangled her before she had the chance. During the time before Anastasia King’s body was found, Indle King Jr. was looking for another mail-order bride.

Anastasia King’s parents, Anatoliy and Alla Soloviev, who came here to bury their daughter and to be witnesses in the trial against Indle King Jr., also touched people. The anguish of learning what their daughter endured during her marriage and murder will always remain.

The International Marriage Broker Act, introduced by Washington Rep. Rick Larsen and Sen. Maria Cantwell, will help put a stop to the throw-away bride mentality that some men, such as Indle King Jr., have fostered.

When told about the bill, Alla Soloviev said, “If this bill becomes law and it can warn other young women, then Anastasia would not have died in vain.”

Anastasia King did not die in vain. The new law will indeed help other young women avoid her fate. In a 2001 interview, Alla Soloviev said students at the music college Anastasia attended called her “the Sun,” because “she would always come and shine – her smile was shining. She would shine her light on everybody.”

Anastasia King brought to light a very dark aspect of society. Her light will continue to shine.