Johnie Jones, 76, was sentenced Friday in Anchorage to 6 1/2 years in prison on a manslaughter charge stemming from the shooting death of man who tried to rob Jones' home of drugs.
Jones shot and killed 36-year-old Sean Mulgrew in October 2013. Court records show he was originally charged with second-degree murder, drug offenses and tampering with evidence but pleaded down to the single manslaughter charge several months ago.
"After learning that Jones was dealing drugs from his residence, the investigation determined that Mulgrew came to rob Jones of drugs and money," prosecutors said in a statement.
Police responded in the early morning hours of Oct. 30, 2013, to Ingra Street in the neighborhood of Fairview for a report of gunshots, according to a charging document.
A caller told police he witnessed someone leave a four-plex and flee in a dark blue sedan shortly after the shots rang out. Then, a second person, later identified as Mulgrew, left the building and ran down a nearby alley, according to the charges.
Police said at that time that officers found Mulgrew dead in the street near the alley from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds.
"Mulgrew died from gunshot wounds to the leg and chest," prosecutors said, adding the second alleged suspect was never identified.
Jones' defense attorney Rex Butler argued from the onset of the case that his client, a Vietnam veteran, had defended his home against a robbery. Butler also said his client was harshly charged because he is black.
Butler cited a previous case in which a white client stabbed to death a robber who was likely after drugs and money. That client was never charged with murder.
[Defense lawyer raises specter of racial profiling in Alaska prosecutions]
District Attorney Clint Campion flatly rejected the race argument. However, the state ended up agreeing two factors applied to Jones' case, reducing the potential maximum sentence of 20 years.
According to prosecutors, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Michael Spaan found "Jones' conduct was mitigated because he acted under some degree of duress and because the victim provoked the crime to a significant degree."