A man who has been in and out of prison for most of his adult life received a decadeslong sentence Friday in Anchorage Superior Court for felony charges tied to a violent robbery at a busy downtown mall.
Raymond Katchatag, 30, was sentenced to 25 years for assault and robbery. Prosecutors say he grabbed an 11-year-old boy away from his mother, Rhonda Torkelson, inside a mall skybridge and held the boy at knifepoint. The state charged assault for harming the boy and robbery because Katchatag demanded Torkelson's belongings.
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Michael Wolverton imposed an additional two years for an unrelated 2007 case. The judge also restricted parole, meaning Katchatag will serve all 27 years.
Assistant district attorney Andrew Grannik described Katchatag's actions as "evil."
"(Katchatag) doesn't take laws or the consequences of those laws seriously," Grannik said.
Three bystanders in the area wrestled Katchatag to the ground. The boy and the three men who came to his rescue suffered minor injuries. The boy and one of the men were cut during the struggle.
Katchatag was arrested March 14, 2013, following the assault in the skybridge.
The prosecutor said the defense's argument that there was only one victim tied to Katchatag's crimes was inaccurate. Torkelson and her son clearly were both traumatized, he said.
"Whatever sick fantasies were playing out in (Katchatag's) head, I don't know. But the only reasonable reaction" is a lengthy sentence, he argued.
Jurors convicted Katchatag of first-degree robbery and two counts of third-degree assault nearly a year ago. They were unable to reach a verdict on an attempted murder charge at the end of the trial, which lasted less than a week.
Torkelson said the robbery altered her family's life. They have suffered emotional and psychological distress, she said. Her son is fearful of public spaces and abrupt commotion.
"If he's released again, his next victims may not be so lucky," Torkelson said of her son's attacker after asking judge Wolverton to impose a harsh sentence.
Katchatag told the judge he has thought about his "bad decisions" every day. He said he is grateful he didn't kill the boy.
"An apology isn't enough. (Anyone) who witnessed what happened will never forget it. That's not the person I am," Katchatag said.
Judge Wolverton said given Katchatag's criminal history -- he's gotten in trouble some 60 times while imprisoned, according to testimony -- it was obvious the defendant cannot conform to the norms of society.
"This was a shocking crime in a town where so many shocking crimes happen," Wolverton said.