Homicide; 202 E Northern Lights Boulevard

Update from the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office:
On 8/21/17, three men were indicted for the murder of 28 year old Philip Cleveland in Anchorage on August 9, 2017.
 
Cleveland was originally from Kotzebue but had lived in Anchorage for the past several years.
 
32 year old Bert Jones, Jr., originally from Kotzebue, was indicted on charges of murder in the first and second degree.
27 year old Shalom Gilmore, originally from Kodiak, was indicted on one count of murder in the first degree.
39 year old Ralph Jim, originally from Sitka, was indicted on one count of murder in the second degree.
 
At approximately 10:52 p.m. on August 9, 2017, officers from the Anchorage Police Department responded to a report of a man whose throat had been cut in the area of 202 East Northern Lights Boulevard. Officers and medics responded and pronounced Cleveland deceased. The Community Action Policing (CAP) team contacted the suspects and other witnesses to the murder. Homicide detectives obtained video footage of the murder from a local business.
 
Murder in the first or second degree is an unclassified felony offense. If convicted of murder in the first degree, Jones and Gilmore face a prison sentence of 25 to 99 years. If convicted of murder in the second degree, Jones and Jim face a sentence of 15 to 99 years in prison. A defendant’s sentence is determined by the judge who must consider the circumstances of the offense, the impact on the victim and the community, and the potential for rehabilitation of the defendant. The charges in the indictment are only allegations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the prosecution must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
 
Jones’ bail was set at $250,000 cash plus a court-approved third party custodian.

Jim and Gilmore’s bail was set at $50,000 cash plus a court-approved third party custodian.

All three men are scheduled to be arraigned in Anchorage Superior Court on Wednesday, August 23, 2017 at 1:45 p.m.
 
Update 8/11/17:
The preliminary investigation found that a group of people were sitting on the side of the building when two adult males in that group began to assault another adult male in the group without being provoked. At one point, one of the males walked over to a male sitting in the group and received a knife. The male, who received the knife, walked back over to the victim, and stabbed him multiple times. During the assault and stabbing, the other people in the group began to walk away leaving the three males alone with the victim. After the stabbing, the three males left the scene. The victim was discovered by people walking along the side of the building who didn’t witness the assault and stabbing and were not part of the group.
 
The three males have been identified as:
Shalom Gilmore (27 years old)
Ralph Jim (39-years old)
Bert Jones, Jr. (32 years old). He stabbed the victim.
 
Gilmore and Jim were arrested yesterday evening near Northern Lights Blvd. and A Street. Gilmore faces charges of Murder 1. Jim faces charges of Murder 2.
 
Jones, Jr. was arrested this afternoon near Northern Lights Blvd. and A Street. He faces charges of Murder 1 and Murder 2.
 
The victim has been identified as Philip Cleveland (28 years old).
 
We thank the public and businesses who called and provided surveillance video to help with this investigation.

Original on 8/10/17:

On 8/9/17, at 10:50 p.m., Dispatch received a report of a stabbing in the 200 block of East Northern Lights Blvd.
 
When officers arrived, they found an adult male lying on the side of a building stabbed multiple times in the upper body; he was declared deceased. Officers interviewed several people at the scene. Investigators believe the victim and parties involved were homeless. Indications are this is an isolated incident and not random.
 
No arrests have been made. There is no suspect information to release at this time.
 
The victim’s next of kin have not been notified.
 
APD Case: 17-32072