On May 6, 2017, in Sitka, Alaska, Ali Nicole Clayton, a 28-year-old White/Caucasian woman, was killed by gunshot in her Davidoff Street apartment after an argument with her boyfriend of roughly two months, 39-year-old Reuben Yerkes, a municipal legal assistant for the City and Borough of Sitka. After a night out in which he told police he had been drinking, Yerkes said the dispute continued at home; he then went to the Sitka Police Department and confessed.
The State Medical Examiner identified the victim, and records list the relationship as intimate partner. Clayton's death was also recorded by gun-violence databases tracking the incident.
Detectives processing the scene found two 9 mm shell casings, a plastic holster on the floor, and a 9 mm Glock pistol near the entry, consistent with Yerkes's account that he shot her inside the residence. Authorities formally identified Clayton and began building the case as friends and coworkers in Sitka learned of her death.
Yerkes was arrested and initially charged with first-degree murder; within days, a Juneau grand jury indicted him on three counts—one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder—reflecting differing theories of intent. He first entered a not-guilty plea as the case moved toward trial, and local coverage filled in details of Clayton's life and work in the community.
In June 2018, Yerkes changed his plea to guilty of second-degree murder under an agreement that effectively called for 60 years with 15 suspended—45 years to serve—and he was later sentenced accordingly. Reporting noted a discretionary parole review could occur after 15 years, but the total sentence ordered by the court was 45 years to serve for the shooting death on May 6, 2017. Coverage at the time emphasized the community's grief and the statements made in court as the case concluded.
