An Anchorage man was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder and manslaughter for killing an 88-year-old man during a home invasion in 2023.
Phillip Barger, 34, knocked on the door of Francisco Martin Jr.’s home on the 9400 block of Brayton Drive and pushed his way inside after Martin’s wife opened the door on the night of July 1, 2023, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case. He then beat Martin and ran from the house, it said.
Martin was brought to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
Barger’s registered address was next door to the Martins, but he was not living there at the time of the homicide, said Patty Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the Department of Law. One of Barger’s family members lived next door to the couple, Sullivan said. Testimony from multiple people during the trial showed that Barger did not know the Martins, she said.
Barger’s trial began in early September and spanned eight days, according to court records. The jury on Thursday convicted him on one count each of second-degree murder, manslaughter, burglary and fourth-degree assault in the home invasion and death of Martin. They found him not guilty on one count each of first- and second-degree murder.
Barger is scheduled to be sentenced in January. He was in custody Friday at the Cook Inlet Pretrial Facility.