Alaska
Former Alaska corrections officer sentenced to 150 years in prison for killing wife and teen daughter
A former Alaska corrections officer who pleaded guilty to the 2022 killings of his wife and daughter earlier this year was sentenced this week to 150 years in prison.
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Josie Garton on Tuesday sentenced Jalonni Blackshear to consecutive 75-year sentences for first- and second-degree murder in the 2022 killings of his wife, Raechyl Blackshear, and their 14-year-old daughter, Jayla, according to filings in the case.
The sentence came after Blackshear pleaded guilty to the charges in late January. Blackshear, in a plea agreement affidavit, said that he shot and killed his wife and daughter in their Scenic Foothills neighborhood home on April 4, 2022, amid a police investigation into suspicions that Blackshear had sexually abused his daughter.
The plea agreement called for a 150-year sentence, according to a May 11 sentencing memorandum signed by Assistant District Attorney Rachel Gernat.
Nearly a dozen other charges, including murder, sexual abuse of a minor and incest, were dismissed as part of the plea agreement with prosecutors, according to the memorandum.
Blackshear had a history of abusing and terrorizing his family, Gernat said in the memo. He shot his family members in the head to avoid prosecution on sexual abuse charges after he failed to coerce his daughter to recant statements given to Anchorage police about being sexually assaulted in late March of that year, she wrote.
In his plea agreement affidavit, Blackshear admitted that the murders were unprovoked and that he was likely to face charges for sexually abusing his daughter.
The mother and daughter were last seen on April 3, 2022, after Blackshear convinced his wife to take their daughter to Anchorage police to try to get her to retract her sexual assault allegations, prosecutors said.
Blackshear quit his job and fled Alaska several days later after he was charged with sexually abusing his daughter. Prosecutors said he used the mother and daughter’s phones to impersonate them in an effort to convince others they were alive.
Raechyl and Jayla Blackshear were found dead in the family home days later after Raechyl Blackshear missed a medical appointment, according to police. Tracking data from their phones led to Blackshear’s arrest in New York weeks later, according to prosecutors.
Blackshear was jailed at the Mat-Su Pretrial facility as of Thursday afternoon.
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Free Wi-Fi is available on more Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines planes.
The company said that 150 aircraft are now equipped with Starlink.
“For years, T-Mobile has played a key role in keeping our guests connected, and we’re proud to now offer Starlink, the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky, to Atmos members for free, made possible through our work with T-Mobile,” said Shane Jones, Senior Vice President of Fleet, Products and Guest Experience. “We’ve seen an overwhelmingly positive response from our guests, and we couldn’t have done it without T-Mobile as we continue to raise the bar for the experience across Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.”
Passengers must now be Atmos Rewards members to take advantage of the free service. The company said a new onboarding portal started in June, with the experience to become standard by mid-July.
Existing Atmos Rewards members will connect automatically, and new guests can sign up in just a few steps.
“Our relationship with Alaska Airlines has helped redefine what travelers can expect from inflight connectivity, and today’s milestone is another important step forward, said Mike Belcher, Head of Partnerships and Business Development at T-Mobile. “Bringing complimentary inflight Wi-Fi to more travelers across both Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines makes it easier to stay connected throughout their journey. The new, streamlined experience for accessing Wi-Fi reflects our shared commitment to delivering a better, more seamless travel experience.”
The airline expects to finish installing Starlink across its remaining mainline fleet by 2027.
(Soldotna) – To allow anglers additional harvest opportunity of Kasilof River sockeye salmon, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is increasing the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon, 16 inches or greater in length, to six fish per day and twelve fish in possession; however, no more than two salmon per day and two in possession may be coho salmon, in all portions of the Kasilof River open to salmon fishing. These provisions are effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 26 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2026.
The biological escapement goal on the Kasilof River is 140,000-320,000 sockeye salmon. Through June 23, a total of 117,665 sockeye salmon have passed the Kasilof River sonar site. The current escapement of sockeye salmon into the Kasilof River is proceeding at a rate that is projected to exceed the biological escapement goal.
In addition to increasing the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon, ADF&G issued emergency order 2-RS-1-32-26 expanding the area open to the personal use dip net fishery on the Kasilof River.
For additional information, please contact the Soldotna ADF&G office at (907) 262-9368.
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