Ashlee Spann, a 34-year-old woman, was shot and killed in her Fairbanks, Alaska, apartment in the early morning hours of November 22, 2025. Around 2 a.m., Alaska State Troopers responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a disturbance and gunfire at a residence on Vassar Circle, in the West Fairbanks neighborhood near Chena Pump Road. When they arrived, they found Spann deceased inside the home from an apparent gunshot wound.
The investigation revealed that Spann had a friend visiting her that morning. According to the friend’s account to law enforcement, Spann’s ex-partner, 27-year-old Brooklyn Whitman of Anchorage, called numerous times and made threatening statements. Whitman, who had reportedly broken up with Spann about six months prior, then arrived at the apartment, banged on the door, and yelled for Spann to let her in. When Spann told her to leave, the friend heard a loud popping noise.
Spann then said she had been shot and collapsed.
Alaska State Troopers and the Alaska Bureau of Investigation immediately began a homicide investigation. Investigators identified Whitman as the suspect, noting she had fled the scene after the shooting. Troopers located and arrested her later the same day without incident. During the investigation, Whitman reportedly admitted to authorities that she had "lost" her "cool" and fired a shot in the direction of Spann’s residence. She was taken to the Fairbanks Correctional Center.
Whitman was initially arrested on charges of first-degree murder and misconduct involving weapons. In early December 2025, a Fairbanks grand jury indicted her on an expanded set of charges, including one count of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, one count of third-degree assault, and one count of second-degree misconduct involving weapons. In addition, the state charged her by information with four misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment. A judge set her bail at a $2 million performance bond and a $1 million appearance bond.
Spann’s killing was one of several violent crimes that occurred in the Fairbanks area in a short period, prompting the Alaska Bureau of Investigation to send a "surge" of investigators from across the state to focus on the cases. As of January 2026, the case against Whitman was proceeding through the court system.
