Mom weeps in court as she describes final messages with daughter, 21, whose body was found in drainpipe - as victim's US soldier husband stands trial for murder

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 23:07, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 23:16, 15 June 2026 The mother of the woman who was allegedly killed and stuffed in a drain pipe by her US soldier husband has revealed the final messages they shared with each other.  Meredith Barney, the mother of Saria Barney, bravely took the stand on Thursday to detail their last conversation as Zarrius Hildabrand's murder trial continues in Alaska. Zarrius, 23, has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and tampering with physical evidence after he allegedly fatally shot his new bride and put her body in a storm drain near their home in Anchorage on August 6, 2023.  The young couple, who met at basic training in the summer of 2022 and married in December of that year, were previously out with friends that night at Dave & Buster's, celebrating Zarrius's 21st birthday.  The group attempted to get into a club, but were denied entry because the bouncer claimed Zarrius, a cannon crewmember assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, was already intoxicated. He and Saria, who was a combat medic for the Alaska National Guard, then got in an Uber home together. That was the last time she was seen alive.  But during their night out, Saria texted her mother a photo she took with her husband, Meredith testified.  'Yeah, they sent me a picture after they won Pickle Rick with her and Zarrius ,' the distraught mother said, referring to the prize that's inspired by the character from the popular sitcom Rick and Morty.  Saria Barney died on August 6, 2023, after her body was found stuffed inside a drain pipe outside her and her husband's home in Anchorage, Alaska During their night out, Saria texted her mother a photo she took with her husband, Meredith testified on Thursday  An attorney then showed Meredith a printed-out version of that picture and asked: 'Was that the last time you heard from Saria?'  'Mhm, yeah,' Meredith replied as she looked down.  She further revealed that she didn't call her daughter the following day because she figured she needed to rest after the late night.  It wasn't until the following day that Meredith, who lived in Mount Pleasant, Utah, heard from Zarrius after he called her from Saria's cellphone.  The lawyer asked her: 'And what did he tell you in that phone call?' 'He told me that he had just reported her missing and that he, he just kind of told me the story. She left for work, she was hungover, she left for work, left her phone at home, and didn't come back,' she recalled the alleged killer telling her about her daughter.  Saria's mother and her aunt flew to Alaska right after hearing from Zarrius, she detailed.  She described Zarrius as 'very paranoid and very rigid' while they tried to search for Saria.  According to Meredith, Zarrius also became strangely upset when he saw the missing persons poster her family had made.  It wasn't until the following day that Meredith, who lived in Mount Pleasant, Utah, heard from Zarrius after he called her from Saria's cellphone While prosecutors have argued that Zarrius (pictured) committed murder that night, his attorney, Lacey Jane, claims her client made poor choices but that Saria took her own life After seeing that Meredith put her phone number on the paper as a point of contact, and that it used Saria's maiden name, she said Zarrius protested that it should be his number and his last name instead.  Saria had moved from Utah to Alaska to be with her new husband just six months before being found dead with a single bullet to her left temple.  Saria has been remembered as an 'amazing young woman,' - and her mother said that her husband 'lied' and 'walked around for hours' searching for Saria 'knowing that she was dead.'  'He walked around for hours with me searching for my daughter knowing that she was dead. He lied to me multiple times and tried to play it off like he was a concerned husband,' Meredith previously told Anchorage Daily News.  Neighbors allegedly heard a gunshot at 2.45am on Sunday, August 6 - just 45 minutes after the couple got home from celebrating Zarrius's birthday.  Zarrius told investigators his wife walked to work the next morning and left her phone at home. He stayed at home all day and only realized she was missing when he went to pick her up at 7pm. But her friends say she didn't plan to work that day. A text was sent from her phone to co-workers at 10.45am Sunday, saying she was calling off work. Zarrius denies sending the text. Police noted that Zarrius purchased a jar of marinara sauce, a set of sheets matching the brand found at the apartment, a mattress cover, a 96-gallon garbage can, hydrogen peroxide and an empty spray bottle on August 6.  Saria was a combat medic for the Alaska National Guard who moved to the state from Utah to be with her new husband It's not clear why Hildebrand may have bought the marinara sauce. The complaint said that when detectives finally executed a search warrant, they found the mattress 'saturated by human blood' - which had soaked through the carpet. They said clean-up attempts were made after finding blood in the bathtub and on the floors. The garbage can that Zarrius bought was found on a trail near their apartment. And before long, Saria's dead body was found hidden under a pillow in the storm drain by drone footage taken of the area taken during the investigation. While prosecutors have argued that Zarrius committed murder that night, his attorney, Lacey Jane, claims her client made poor choices but that Saria took her own life.  His trial continued on Monday. If found guilty, Zarrius faces a maximum of 99 years in prison for each of the murder charges.  He faces up to five years behind bars for the tampering with physical evidence charge.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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