On November 21, 2020, in Anchorage's Mountain View neighborhood, Randy Ropati, a 28-year-old male, was shot multiple times inside a residence late that morning. Prosecutors later described how the gunman entered an acquaintance's home and immediately opened fire with a revolver while the 28-year-old male was making tea, striking him five times before leaving. The killing unfolded amid a deadly weekend in the city and was linked to a second shooting that same day.
Investigators quickly developed a suspect and, as the case took shape, identified and took into custody Al Apaola Leafa Jr. He was alleged to have carried out both shootings in Mountain View within roughly an hour of each other, leaving the 28-year-old male dead at the first scene and a 38-year-old woman mortally wounded at the second. Early summaries noted the morning timeline—around 10:30 a.m.—and tied the two crime scenes together through witness accounts and video, which showed the same man leaving each location.
In April 2023, a jury convicted Leafa Jr. of the murders connected to that day: two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and tampering with evidence. The verdict affirmed that the 28-year-old male was killed inside the Mountain View home, and that the same gunman then moved on to the second attack. The Anchorage Police Department highlighted the outcome, underscoring how the separate shootings had been investigated as a connected spree.
On November 1, 2023, Superior Court Judge Peter Ramgren imposed a composite 150-year sentence—75 years for each count of first-degree murder—to be served consecutively. Sentencing materials recounted the sequence of events inside the home where the 28-year-old male was killed and characterized the crimes as cold-blooded, sealing the legal resolution of the case against the lone suspect.
