Crime & Courts

Anchorage man gets 45 years for Platinum Jaxx shooting death

Korakanh Phornsavanh, 28, was sentenced Friday to 45 years in prison for shooting Said Beshirov to death outside an Anchorage bar in October 2012.

Phornsavanh's total sentence was 65 years with 20 years suspended, said Assistant District Attorney Paul Miovas, who handled the case alongside Assistant District Attorney Jenna Gruenstein. The judge also imposed 10 years of probation, Miovas said.

Phornsavanh murdered Beshirov, 27, during bar break outside Platinum Jaxx, which has since closed, on Oct. 28, 2012, according to the state. He was arrested eight months later, a delay due in part to confusion caused by intoxication and people wearing costumes at the scene of the shooting.

Prosecutors say Phornsavanh was responsible for the two shots that killed Beshirov despite a lack of physical evidence and witness statements implicating another shooter, an acquaintance of the defendant's.

Gruenstein emphasized in her arguments during trial that multiple shootings downtown have caused Anchorage residents to view the area as unsafe at night, a point repeated by Superior Court Judge Michael Wolverton, Miovas said. The judge's sentence reflects upon that sentiment, he said.

Jerzy Shedlock

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

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