Jayla Blackshear, a 14-year-old Black female, was a fun and outgoing student at Begich Middle School in Anchorage, Alaska, who, according to a friend, "never let anyone put her down." She lived with her mother, Raechyl Blackshear, a 35-year-old nurse, and her father, Jalonni Blackshear, a state corrections officer. The family had a history of domestic violence that had previously drawn the attention of child services.
The chain of events leading to Jayla’s death began on March 30,
2022, when she reported that her father had sexually abused her following an argument about her sexuality. Her mother took her to a hospital for a sexual assault examination, and police later obtained a DNA sample from Jalonni Blackshear. On the evening of April 3, Jalonni convinced Raechyl to take Jayla to the Anchorage Police Department to recant her statement. It was the last time law enforcement saw either of them alive. In the early morning hours of April 4, 2022, Jalonni entered the family’s East Anchorage home and shot both his wife and daughter in the head with a shotgun.
After the killings, Jalonni took their phones and used their digital accounts to impersonate them in texts and social media messages, leading friends and family to believe they were still alive. On April 6, he resigned from his job and flew out of Anchorage. Concern grew as Raechyl missed work shifts and a medical appointment. On April 15, police conducted a welfare check at the Blackshear residence on Resurrection Drive and discovered the bodies of Jayla and her mother in an upstairs bedroom.
The investigation quickly focused on Jalonni Blackshear. Two days before the bodies were found, DNA results had confirmed he was the source of evidence collected in Jayla’s sexual assault kit. A multi-agency manhunt involving Homeland Security and the NYPD tracked his cellphone to Staten Island, New York. On April 20, 2022, U.S. Marshals and federal agents arrested him there. He was extradited to Alaska to face justice.
A grand jury indicted Jalonni Blackshear on charges including first- and second-degree murder, sexual abuse of a minor, incest, forgery, and tampering with evidence. In January 2026, he entered into a plea agreement. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of his wife and second-degree murder for the death of his daughter. In an affidavit, he admitted the shootings were unprovoked. The remaining charges were dismissed as part of the agreement.
On June 2, 2026, an Anchorage Superior Court judge sentenced Jalonni Blackshear to 75 years in prison for each murder, to be served consecutively for a total of 150 years. The judge noted that Blackshear had terrorized his family into silence for years and killed his wife and daughter to avoid prosecution for sexual abuse. The case was closed with his sentencing in June 2026.
