Press Release

Anchorage Man Receives 33 Years in Prison After Four Jury Trials

June 15, 2016

(ANCHORAGE, ALASKA) – On June 14, Anchorage Superior Court Judge pro tempore Michael Spaan sentenced Oscar Fabela Villa II to serve 8 years and 9 months in prison for criminal conduct that began on the evening of November 28, 2013. An Anchorage jury found Villa, 24, guilty of assault in the second degree, assault in the third degree, criminal mischief in the third degree, failure to stop at the direction of a peace officer in the first degree, driving under the influence, and unlawful contact in the first degree following an eight day trial in January 2016. Villa also pled guilty to three counts of violating conditions of release.

The evidence at trial showed that on the evening of November 28, Villa and his girlfriend went out to dinner. When they returned to their apartment, Villa began arguing with her and accusing her of infidelity. Villa then strangled her until she lost consciousness. When she recovered, she fled to her mother's house. While she was gone, Villa destroyed furniture and electronics in the apartment and threw most of her belongings out of a window. When the girlfriend and her mother returned to the apartment, they saw Villa driving off in a Suburban and contacted Anchorage Police. Officers found Villa and attempted to pull him over in College Village: Villa refused to stop and tried to drive away. When he reached a dead end, he drove directly at the pursuing officer, striking two police cars, and then fled on foot while drinking from a bottle of cognac. A K-9 Unit eventually located Villa in a residential backyard. His breath alcohol content was .110.

Although Villa was ordered to have no contact with his girlfriend after his arrest, records from the Department of Corrections showed that he called her over 200 times between November 2013 and January 2014. Villa was on bail in an older case at the time of his arrest, with conditions requiring him to remain in the presence of a third party custodian, to consume no alcohol, and to obey all federal, state, and local laws.

Judge Spaan said that he was "skeptical" that Villa could be rehabilitated. "It's clear to me that he will not be deterred," he said, noting Villa's extensive criminal history. Instead, Judge Spaan said the sentence should focus on protecting the public and expressing condemnation for Villa's crimes.

"This sentence should serve as a reminder that our community will not tolerate those who abuse their partners or put police officers in danger," said Assistant District Attorney James Klugman, who prosecuted the case. "They will be caught, they will be prosecuted, and they will be held accountable for their crimes."

Judge Spaan ordered that Villa's sentence will be served consecutively to time imposed in his other cases. Villa was given a 20 year sentence in March 2016 following an attempted murder conviction. He was also convicted of failing to appear in court after absconding from a halfway house, of attempting to escape from the Anchorage Jail, and of leaving the scene of an accident: he was prosecuted in four separate jury trials between November 2015 and January 2016. He will serve a combined sentence of approximately 33 years and 4 months between all of his cases.

CONTACT: ADA James Klugman at (907) 269-6351 or james.klugman@alaska.gov.

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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.