Crime & Courts

3 in Southeast Alaska indicted on murder charges in attack that followed Facebook accusations

Two Southeast Alaska men and a teenager were indicted Thursday on murder and other charges in the death of an 80-year-old Klawock man they’re accused of attacking after accusations against him were posted on Facebook.

Moses Blanchard, 22, and Blaise Dilts, 21, were indicted by a Ketchikan grand jury on charges of first- and second-degree murder, manslaughter and burglary in the death of Lincoln Peratrovich.

Gonzalo Sanchez, 17, was indicted on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and burglary. Minors over 16 who are charged with certain offenses, including murder, are automatically tried as adults, according to state law. Sanchez was arrested after the indictment was filed, an Alaska State Troopers spokesman said Friday.

Law enforcement officers first responded to the Tlingit village on Prince of Wales Island on March 20 for a report that Peratrovich cat-called a teenage girl and tried to lure her into his trailer, according to a sworn affidavit written by troopers investigator Adam Hawkins. The girl said he chased her with an ax, which the affidavit said Peratrovich denied during an interview with investigators. He told them he whistled at a girl but realized how young she was when she turned around, so he offered her food and talked to her, the affidavit said.

Troopers ultimately concluded no crime had been committed.

A Facebook post after the incident described the girl’s report and alleged Peratrovich was sexually interested in young girls. Comments on that post encouraged violence against him, according to the affidavit.

At 1:30 a.m. on March 21, troopers received a report of an ongoing assault at Peratrovich’s trailer, the affidavit said. Peratrovich was dead when troopers arrived around 3 a.m.

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Investigators determined Dilts, Blanchard and Sanchez had broken into the home and beat Peratrovich, who was in bed, the affidavit said.

Dilts and Blanchard told investigators during interviews that they assaulted Peratrovich with Sanchez because of the allegations in the Facebook post, the affidavit said. One of the men said no when asked if he knew whether the allegations were true, it said.

The men and the teen are each being held on $600,000 bail. Dilts and Blanchard were in custody Friday afternoon at the Ketchikan Correctional Center and Sanchez was at the Craig Jail.

Tess Williams

Tess Williams is a reporter focusing on breaking news and public safety. Before joining the ADN in 2019, she was a reporter for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota. Contact her at twilliams@adn.com.

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