Press Release

Anchorage Man Convicted of Murder of Wasilla Man

October 6, 2023

(Palmer, AK) – After a two-week trial, a Palmer jury last week convicted Cooper Gordon of two counts of murder in the second degree in the death of Terry Spencer of Wasilla.  Spencer was found murdered on October 19, 2019, with a single gunshot wound to the head in a state recreation area near Nightfall Drive in Wasilla.  Two days later, investigators with the Alaska State Troopers found Gordon in possession of Spencer’s belongings to include Spencer’s firearms.  Gordon was also found to have taken Spencer’s vehicle following the murder. Gordon was also convicted of theft in the second degree for the theft of Spencer’s firearms and was subsequently found guilty of the offense of misconduct involving weapons in the third degree, after Gordon elected to have a bench trial on that charge following the return of his other guilty verdicts.

The case was prosecuted by the Palmer District Attorney’s Office by Assistant District Attorney’s Jordyn Caldwell and Kerry Corliss.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 1, 2024, at 8:30 am.

Contact: Palmer Assistant District Attorney Kerry Corliss at (907)761-5648 or Kerry.corliss@alaska.gov

# # #

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.