Crime & Courts

Anchorage man sentenced to 99 years in prison for 2016 Fourth of July murder

An Anchorage man who was convicted of murder in the fatal shooting during a July 4 cookout in 2016 was sentenced Friday to 99 years in prison, state prosecutors said in a release.

Trayvon Leon Artis Morrissette, 35, was convicted of first- and second- degree murder in May.

He fatally shot Jorge Rea-Villa Jr., 30, during a Fourth of July barbecue. According to prosecutors, Morrissette went into the bathroom, pulled out a 9-mm handgun and shot Villa Jr. nine times.

After the shooting, Morrissette led officers on a chase across South Anchorage. He hid in an apartment building, and police got reports of multiple break-ins and attempted break-ins by a man matching Morrissette's description. He was found hiding in a stairwell later that night, police said.

A Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced Morrissette to 95 years in prison for Villa Jr.'s murder, and 4 years for first-degree burglary.

Morrissette testified at trial that he was suffering from methamphetamine-induced paranoia, state prosecutors said.

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