A Black/African American male named Christopher Brooks, age 38, of Anchorage, died on December 24, 2016, during a violent and heartbreaking Christmas Eve home invasion. That afternoon, police were alerted shortly before 4 p.m. by a passerby to a shooting outside an apartment. When they arrived, they found Christopher on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds, including a shot to the head. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the attempts to save his life ultimately failed.
He succumbed to his injuries, collapsing outside his home following the attack.
Inside the residence, his wife, Danielle Brooks, age 32, was found fatally shot and pronounced dead at the scene. A deeply chilling voice came from the couple's five-year-old son, who witnessed the massacre. With wide-eyed horror, the child told officers simply: “Ninjas came to my home and killed my family.”
Anchorage police soon unraveled that this ambush had been a planned robbery. Three men, all armed, entered the couple's home seeking marijuana and cash. The scheme was orchestrated by one of the conspirators, who had lured Christopher under the pretense of buying marijuana.
At least three individuals were involved in carrying out the invasion. One of them, Lamarkus Jayquann Mann, age 22 at the time, produced a gun during the confrontation. A struggle erupted as Christopher attempted to wrest control of the firearm, leading to the gun discharging. In the ensuing chaos, Christopher was shot multiple times—one bullet striking his head—and was mortally wounded. Danielle, a witness to the violence, was then also shot and killed.
Another man, DeAnthony Malik Harris, was wounded in the leg—likely by accidental gunfire amid the struggle—and was treated at a hospital after being brought there. Jaylyn Franklin, who accompanied Harris, also came into police custody. Franklin gave varying accounts of events before providing testimony that connected the robbery plot, implicating both himself and the other assailants.
In the days that followed, arrests were made. Jaylyn Franklin was arrested quickly and faced charges including murder, robbery, burglary, and tampering with evidence. Lamarkus Mann was identified as the primary shooter and was subsequently arrested, described by police as armed and dangerous at the time.
Over the ensuing years, convictions and sentencing brought some closure, albeit painful. Savon Wiley, the man who orchestrated the robbery by luring Christopher, was found guilty in 2020 and sentenced to 76 years in prison, with 20 years suspended—56 years of active incarceration followed by 10 years of probation. Mann received a vastly longer sentence — 109 years behind bars. Earlier, in 2019, Franklin accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to 100 years, with 20 years suspended. DeAnthony Harris, who had been wounded during the commission of the crimes, was later sentenced in late 2024 to 80 years, with 20 years suspended, resulting in 60 years of active imprisonment.
Thus, what stands out is the tragedy of a Black/African American male, age 38, dying in a brutal home invasion on December 24, 2016, leaving behind a young son who witnessed the horror. The event was soon followed by police investigation leading to arrests: Jaylyn Franklin, Lamarkus Mann, DeAnthony Harris, and mastermind Savon Wiley. The subsequent trials and convictions resulted in lengthy prison sentences for all involved, each held accountable for the violent robbery that ended in the deaths of Christopher and Danielle Brooks.
