Crime & Courts

Fairbanks man found guilty of murder stemming from drug deal gone awry

Former Fairbanks resident Jerel Williams, 28, was found guilty of murder Thursday in connection with a fatal shooting at an East Anchorage apartment.

Williams was convicted on charges of second-degree murder and robbery for the September 2014 killing of 23-year-old Christopher Fulton Jr., prosecutors said.

On Sept. 4, 2014, Anchorage police got a 911 call from Fulton's roommate, who reported Fulton had been shot and was bleeding from the head, prosecutors said.

Responding officers determined the victim was shot in the head. Medics from the Anchorage Fire Department pronounced Fulton dead shortly after they arrived at the scene.

[Police: Two charged with murder in Anchorage shooting]

Williams and his co-defendant Samantha Herbert had fled the scene prior to police arriving, prosecutors said. They ditched a van near Eklutna Lake Road and hitchhiked to Wasilla, where a local officer picked them up the next day, they said.

In interviews with homicide detectives, Williams denied involvement in the shooting but follow-up investigation proved otherwise, prosecutors said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Charging documents in the case suggest the murder resulted from a drug deal gone wrong. The defendants stormed into the bedroom of Fulton and an argument ensued over drugs. Williams fatally shot Fulton during a struggle, the charges say.

[Woman gets 3 years for homicide tied to drug deal in Anchorage]

A witness to the shooting told police everyone involved had bought heroin from or sold the drug to one another.

Herbert pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to three years in prison last year. She cooperated in the case against Williams, according to her attorney.

Williams' sentencing was set for Feb. 10, 2017. He faces up to 99 years for the murder charge.

Jerzy Shedlock

Jerzy Shedlock is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

ADVERTISEMENT