Press Release
Judge Sentences Anchorage Man to 65 Years in Prison
December 15, 2021
(Anchorage, AK) – An Anchorage man convicted of murder in the first degree was sentenced this week to 65 years in prison for the crime.
Judge Catherine Easter sentenced Tommy James Rumph to 65 years with no suspended time. He was also sentenced to four years in prison for third-degree misconduct involving weapons and 270 days in prison for fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance. Those sentences will be served concurrently with the first-degree murder sentence.
Rumph was found guilty in March 2020 of shooting and killing Treavonne Owens near the intersection of 15th Avenue and E Street on Sept. 12, 2016. Rumph and Owens were co-workers, and they had been involved in a dispute over money Owens owed to Rumph over a cocaine transaction.
At sentencing, Judge Easter considered the statutory sentencing factors in the context of the defendant’s criminal history and probationary record, the facts of the case, the arguments of attorneys, comments from the victims’ family and possibility of rehabilitation.
CONTACT: Senior Assistant Attorney General John Darnall and Assistant Attorney General Lisa Kelley at (907) 269-6250.
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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.