On the morning of May 6, 2025, the body of Raymond Monty McPherson Jr., a 48-year-old White man, was discovered at the Whitefish Campground, about 21 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. Alaska State Troopers responded to the scene after receiving a call around 6 a.m. They found Mr. McPherson under a bridge, deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. An investigation revealed he had been shot six times, with wounds to his head, torso, and leg.
The investigation quickly centered on 38-year-old
Tessa Hillyer, who described herself as Mr. McPherson’s best friend. Earlier that morning, Hillyer had gone to her stepmom’s home and stated that she had killed someone, telling her, “nobody gets to put their hands on me.” Her stepmom called the authorities and accompanied Hillyer back to the campground. When troopers arrived, both women were present at the scene. Troopers noted that Hillyer had a visible bruise developing on her eye and smelled of alcohol.
At the scene, investigators found a .22 caliber pistol on top of Mr. McPherson’s hand. The handgun’s magazine was empty, it had no round in the chamber, and five spent casings were found nearby. Subsequent testing would find Hillyer’s DNA on the pistol’s trigger grip. A toxicology report showed that Mr. McPherson had a blood alcohol level of .36 at the time of his death, while Hillyer’s was over the legal limit six hours after the shooting.
Hillyer was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, with bail set at $1 million. From the beginning, her defense attorney argued that she had acted in self-defense. The case proceeded to trial, where Hillyer testified in her own defense. She claimed that she and Mr. McPherson were at her campsite when he struck her in the face after she rejected his sexual advances. Hillyer stated that after he initially backed off, she went to her van to get her pistol, and when Mr. McPherson lunged at her, she shot him until the magazine was empty.
On December 10, 2025, a Fairbanks jury delivered its verdict. They acquitted Tessa Hillyer of first-degree murder but found her guilty of the lesser charge of murder in the second degree. As of December 2025, Hillyer was in the custody of the Department of Corrections, awaiting sentencing. She faced a prison term of 15 to 99 years.
