Press Release

Ketchikan Jury Convicts Justin Carpenter on Multiple Counts of Felony Assault

April 22, 2026

(Ketchikan, AK) – On April 17, 2026, a Ketchikan jury convicted Justin Carpenter of multiple counts of Felony Assault, following a three-day trial.

The charges stemmed from an incident from the evening of Oct. 18, 2025. Justin Carpenter was intoxicated and trying to do laundry when an altercation ensued with his roommate. Carpenter claimed that he acted in self-defense after the victim grabbed his arm and pulled him to the floor as Carpenter was walking away. The victim claimed Carpenter started the altercation by threatening to kill him, and claimed that they both fell to the floor together after Carpenter shoved him.

While they were on the floor, Carpenter stabbed his roommate four times with a knife that hecarried on his person. Then, Carpenter left the residence. One of the stab wounds punctured the victim’s lung and caused it to collapse. The victim required medical intervention to insert a chest tube to reinflate his lung and was medically evacuated to the Alaska Native Medical Center where he was hospitalized for several days.

When officers responded, Carpenter was sitting on the porch with the knife on the ground in front of him, and immediately claimed self-defense. Carpenter was convicted of Assault in the First Degree for causing serious physical injury by means of a dangerous instrument, and Assault in the Third Degree for placing the victim in fear of imminent serious physical injury by means of a dangerous instrument. Carpenter was acquitted of Attempted Murder and Assault in the First Degree for causing the injury with extreme indifference to the value of human life. The jury additionally found the aggravating factor for Domestic Violence applied to the convictions.

Carpenter’s sentencing hearing is set for Sept. 1, 2026. Carpenter faces a range from seven to twenty years for Assault in the First Degree and zero to five years for Assault in the Third Degree.

The case was investigated by the Ketchikan Police Department with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers.

Assistant District Attorneys Jackson Willard and Nathaniel Blevins prosecuted the case. Paralegal Lisa Dial and Law Office Assistants Melody Galeon and Sadie Barajas assisted with the trial.

CONTACT: Assistant District Attorney Jackson Willard at jackson.willard@alaska.gov.

# # #

Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.