An Alaska corrections officer has been sentenced to 150 years in prison for murdering his wife and daughter, then impersonating both victims through their phones while contacting surviving children, authorities said.
Jalooni Blackshear pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of his wife Raechyl Blackshear, 35, and their 14-year-old daughter Jayla Blackshear, according to the Alaska Department of Law. The sentence was handed down Tuesday by Superior Court Judge Josie Garton.
Background
The Anchorage Police Department began investigating Jalooni Blackshear on March 30, 2022, after Jayla reported that her father had sexually abused her. In an attempt to silence his daughter, Blackshear persuaded his wife to bring Jayla back to the police department on April 3, 2022, to recant her story, prosecutors wrote.
That visit marked the last time anyone saw Jayla and her mother alive.
Days after the failed recant attempt, Blackshear fled the state, traveling east while in possession of both victims' phones. Through the devices, investigators tracked him to Staten Island, New York, where he was arrested.
The Investigation
When Raechyl Blackshear failed to appear for a doctor's appointment on April 15, 2022, police responded to her home and discovered both victims dead from gunshot wounds to the head in an upstairs bedroom.
Prosecutors uncovered that after killing his wife and daughter, Blackshear used their phones to communicate with surviving family members. Among his messages were texts telling the children that "mommy missed them" and wishes of happy birthday to one of them.
At sentencing, Judge Garton found that Blackshear had subjected his wife and daughters to years of physical and sexual violence, terrorizing them into silence before killing two of them when Jayla finally came forward.
Key Takeaways
- Jalooni Blackshear sentenced to 150 years in Alaska state prison for murdering his wife Raechyl Blackshear, 35, and their daughter Jayla Blackshear, 14
- He pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Josie Garton
- After the killings, Blackshear used the victims' phones to impersonate them, texting surviving children that 'mommy missed them'
- Police tracked him to Staten Island, New York through evidence recovered from the victims' cellular devices
- Jayla had accused her father of sexual abuse before both she and her mother were killed
What's Next
Blackshear will serve his sentence in Alaska state prison. The case concluded with his guilty plea, avoiding a trial that would have presented additional evidence of years of domestic violence and abuse within the family.