A Kenai jury has found a Seward man not guilty, after he allegedly murdered two men in 2019.
According to a report filed by Alaska State Troopers, Joseph Chandler Jr., 32 of Seward, placed a 9-1-1 call on the evening of Apr. 15, 2019. At that time Chandler told officers he had fatally shot two men who he claimed were trespassing on his property.
The two men, Dustin Marx, age 27 of Seward, and Michael White, age 40 of Seward, had both received verbal trespassing complaints from the landlord of the property Chandler resided on. According to Chandler, both were told not to return to the property. Marx and White chose not to heed the instructions, however, and both proceeded to come onto the property the evening on Apr. 15.
Chandler told the pair to vacate the area immediately, saying that “they did not have permission to be there.” Court documents indicate that Marx and White claimed they had permission from the landlord to be on the property. Chandler attempted to call the landlord for 10 to 20 minutes to verify this information. While Chandler was waiting for word from the property owner, he claims the pair began to threaten Chandler, escalating the situation.
According an article written by the Seward Journal, Marx and White were found dead in a van on the property the same evening that Chandler placed the 9-1-1 call. Marx was located in the passenger seat, and White in the back of the van. Chandler allegedly told troopers that he first shot Marx through the open driver’s side window, and that White then fled to the rear of the vehicle, where Chandler allegedly emptied his magazine shooting at him.
The trial which was overseen by Kenai Superior Court Judge Jason Gist, originally began in January of 2023. Gist declared a mistrial in March when a hung jury could not reach a verdict following seven days of deliberation.
Chandler’s second trial began in November and came to a close on December 11th, 2023.
Larry Opperman, who served as the jury foreman during Chandler’s second trial, spoke to KSRM about the trial and explained this case was not about drugs, but was instead a matter of self defense.
“They started threatening him and one guy reached for something. [Chandler] thought he had a gun and he defended himself, and that’s what the jury believe. We believe he was well within his right to do that,” said Opperman.
A notable hinge point of the case at trial was the verbiage of Alaska’s Stand-Your-Ground law and how it pertained specifically to Chandler’s interaction with Marx and White on the evening of Apr. 15.
According to the statute 11.81 330 in Alaska, a defendant may use nondeadly force upon another when and to the extent the defendant believes it is necessary for self-defense against what the defendant believes to be the use of unlawful force by the other person. The defendant’s beliefs must be reasonable under the circumstances.
“They went on the property anyway and that’s why I said the defendant, he was in the mode of you’re not supposed to be here, you’ve been trespassed off this property,” said Opperman.
Given the aggressive language, refusing to leave the property, and believing that the pair had a gun, the jury believed that Chandler was in fear for his life.
Viewing the circumstances of the case through the lens of Alaska’s Stand-Your-Ground law, the jury determined that Chandler was not guilty, and was acquitted on two counts of murder in the first degree, and four counts of murder in the second degree.