An Alaska man who gunned down a leasing manager in front of a coworker over an eviction notice will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
In a packed Anchorage courtroom on July 11, 28-year-old Jesse Jones was sentenced to 77 years in prison for the murder of 34-year-old Josiah Goecker and the assault of leasing agent Rosemarie Ortiz during a violent outburst at an apartment complex in October 2023.
Jones, who lived at the Alpine Apartments in Anchorage with his pregnant girlfriend, stormed into the leasing office on October 23, furious over a non-renewal notice taped to his door. According to prosecutors, within seconds of confronting the employees, Jones pulled out a handgun. Goecker tried to defuse the situation, retreating with his hands raised—only to be shot at least seven times in front of Ortiz.
After the shooting, Jones fled the scene, tossed the weapon, and spent the next three days high on methamphetamine before he was finally arrested. He was later convicted of murder, assault, and evidence tampering. Though he confessed to the killing, his defense attorneys argued it was a “heat of passion” shooting and pushed for a reduced charge of manslaughter. The jury didn’t buy it.
At sentencing, Judge Andrew Peterson rejected any suggestion that the killing was impulsive or defensive, calling it a deliberate and deadly chain of decisions. “Josiah Goecker put his hands up. He backed off. He gave the defendant the opportunity to walk away,” Peterson said. “Instead, the defendant chose to kill.”
The judge also pointed to Jones’ history of extreme reactions to perceived slights, saying his violent behavior made him a continuing threat to the public.
Goecker’s family delivered emotional impact statements in court, describing the devastating ripple effect of his death. He was a husband, father, and expecting a second daughter at the time of his murder. His brother, Jamin Goecker, said Josiah’s murder “deprived his wife of a husband and his two little girls of a father.”
“His youngest daughter was born a few months after his death,” he said. “She will never meet her father in this life.”
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Author: What’s Up Team
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