A US soldier on trial for allegedly murdering his wife before stuffing her in a drainpipe in Alaska grinned as he made a startling confession about the crime to his friend, a jury has heard. 

Zarrius Hildabrand, 23, is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Saria Barney, 21, at their home in Anchorage on August 6, 2023, before putting her body in a storm drain near their property. 

The newly married couple, who met at basic training in the summer of 2022, had previously gone out with friends to Dave & Buster's for Hildabrand's 21st birthday before heading back home in an Uber. It was the last time she was seen alive. 

Hildabrand, a cannon crewmember assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, told his wife's mother, Meredith Barney, that Saria never returned home from work the following day, but her friends said she had planned not to go in for her shift. 

He was arrested on August 11 and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and tampering with physical evidence in connection with Saria's death. 

On Monday, Hildabrand's friend, First Sgt. Toby Howry, told the court that he went to visit the alleged killer in jail and asked if he wanted him to pass on a message to anyone for him. 

Hildabrand replied: 'No, but I hope this thing isn't recording, because I did what I did.' 

Howry recalled feeling uneasy by the comment, but he was left in complete shock after he said he saw Hildabrand crack a smile after his confession. 

Howry then reported the off-putting comment to his chain of command, Court TV reported. 

Despite his chilling interaction with Hildabrand, Howry admitted that he continues to stay in contact with him. 'I don't hate him. I hate his sin, I'll say that,' he told the court. 

The jury was also shown multiple surveillance clips of Hildabrand inside a Fred Meyer grocery store on the day of Saria's death. 

Veronica Karelle, an asset protection manager for the store, testified that he made several purchases that day. 

He was recorded around 12.30pm buying Gatorade, marinara sauce, and a set of bed sheets. 

Another clip showed him coming back around 6.15pm, when he bought hydrogen peroxide, Old Spice, a spray bottle, all-purpose cleaner, and Q-tips, per the outlet. 

Hildabrand made a third and final trip that day, purchasing a can of Red Bull and a mattress pad. The clip also showed him in a different outfit than the one he had on before. 

The news comes just days after Saria's heartbroken mother took the stand during her daughter's alleged murderer's trial. 

Meredith wept as she described her final communication with her child. 

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. 

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 somberly. 

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 Hildabrand 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 Hildabrand, she detailed. 

She described Hildabrand as being 'very paranoid and very rigid' during their search for Saria. 

According to Meredith, Hildabrand also became strangely upset when he saw the missing persons poster her family had made. 

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 Hildabrand 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.

Her 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 Hildabrand 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 Tuesday. If found guilty, Hildabrand 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.