Yago Pitka

In the remote riverfront village of Kotlik, Alaska, the morning of April 15, 2021, brought with it a fatal confrontation that would end the life of 49-year-old Yago Pitka. The series of events that led to his death began the afternoon before, on April 14, when Pitka and Ralph John Waska, a 54-year-old resident of the village, began drinking alcohol together. According to court documents, their drinking started at Waska's home, moved to Pitka's residence, and eventually returned to Waska’s house that evening.

Sometime on the morning of April 15, an altercation broke out between the two men inside Waska's home. Authorities were later told that Waska asked Pitka to leave his house, but Pitka refused. The situation escalated when Pitka allegedly attacked Waska, leading to a physical fight. At some point during the struggle, Waska retrieved a shotgun and shot Yago Pitka twice. The wounds proved fatal, and Pitka, a Native American man, died at the scene.

The remote location of Kotlik, a small community on the western coast of Alaska, presented immediate challenges to the investigation. The Alaska State Troopers were notified of the shooting at 8 a.m. on the day it occurred, but severe weather conditions made it impossible for them to travel to the village. The delay meant that investigators could not reach the scene until the following day, April 16, to begin their official inquiry into the death of the man.

Upon their arrival, troopers began to piece together the events that transpired in Waska's home. Their investigation confirmed that a confrontation had occurred and that Waska had fired the fatal shots. For several months, the case continued to be investigated. Then, in October 2021, a warrant was issued for Ralph Waska's arrest. Bethel-based troopers took him into custody, and he was charged with manslaughter and two counts of second-degree murder. His bail was set at $250,000, and he was held at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center.

The legal process moved forward, and ultimately, a partial plea agreement was reached. As part of the agreement, the prosecution dismissed the two second-degree murder charges. Waska pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. The prosecution argued for the maximum possible sentence under the plea deal, citing Waska's multiple past felony convictions and what they described as a need to protect the community of Kotlik.

In May 2024, a judge in the Bethel Superior Court handed down the sentence. Ralph John Waska was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison, with three of those years suspended. He is to serve six years for the killing of Yago Pitka. With the conviction and sentencing, the legal case surrounding the violent death that shook the small village of Kotlik came to a close.