From the Attorney General’s Office:

January 19, 2022 (Anchorage, AK) – An Anchorage grand jury has indicted an Idaho man on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder for the May 28, 1985, death of Jawed Ahmed.

Eric Lane Jones, 56, is accused of shooting and killing Ahmed. Jones was established as a suspect in the case through genetic genealogy. The use of genetic DNA testing was instrumental in linking Jones to an item found at the scene.

”We established our Cold Case Unit in 2020 with the sole focus of bringing justice for victims and families,” said Anchorage Police Department Chief Ken McCoy. “The Cold Case Assistant Attorney General and Lead APD Detective on the case have been in contact with the victim’s family members and it is our sincere hope that this case brings Jawed Ahmed’s loved ones some sense of closure and peace. APD is grateful to the Idaho State Police, District 3 in Meridian, who assisted on this case.  We would not have been able to effect the arrest of the defendant without their help. We also appreciate the contributions of Patty Busby with Alaska Information Analysis Center who assisted with the genealogy aspect of the investigation.”

If convicted at trial, Jones faces a sentence of up to 99 years imprisonment.

These charges are only allegations and are not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the prosecution must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Jones is currently in the custody of the Department of Corrections. Bail is set at $250,000 cash performance, $250,000 cash appearance, plus electronic monitoring by the Department of Corrections Pre-Trial Enforcement Division. He was arraigned before the Superior Court in Anchorage today.