Byzantium Hill, a 19-year-old Black male, died in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 23, 2015. Just before 2 a.m., neighbors near East 5th Avenue and Lane Street heard gunfire. Inside a residence, officers found the 19-year-old male critically wounded; medics rushed him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead roughly twenty minutes later.
Detectives pieced together a harrowing home-invasion narrative.
According to the initial investigation, a resident was confronted outside and forced back into the home by a man later identified as Quinton Henderson. A struggle erupted as other residents tried to subdue him. Amid the chaos, an unknown male entered the residence and began firing. Two more residents moved toward the front door, where a man in black clothing opened fire at the house from outside. After the barrage, several assailants fled—some possibly by vehicle—while two residents chased down Henderson and held him until police arrived. The 19-year-old male victim inside was identified as Byzantium Hill.
The investigation quickly turned to motive. Residents told police they owed a debt to a man named Chris Winters and had received threats. Within forty-eight hours, Anchorage police arrested 38-year-old Christopher Jon Winters and charged him with murder in the first degree. Henderson, 38, was charged with burglary in the first degree and murder in the second degree. Police publicly asked for help identifying other suspects believed to have taken part in the ambush, signaling a broader conspiracy behind the gunfire that ended the life of the 19-year-old male.
About a week later, on September 2, 2015, detectives announced a third arrest: 35-year-old Nathaniel Terrell, who was charged with murder in the second degree and burglary in the first degree. At that time, investigators cautioned that additional suspects and charges were still possible, underscoring the scope of the case built around the late-night debt-collection home invasion that left Byzantium Hill, a 19-year-old male, dead.
