Kapri Raymond Willis broke down in sobs and hugged his lawyer after the jury foreman said two words: “Not guilty.”

After four days of deliberations, a Fairbanks jury acquitted 22-year-old Willis of two counts of felony first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of 18-year-old Rachel Wright and 28-year-old Ricardo Duperior on Aug. 7, 2022. The jury also found Willis not guilty of two charges of felony tampering with a witness.

On Wednesday, the jury told Superior Court Judge Patricia Haines they had reached a verdict on two of the counts but were unable to agree on the remaining two. The judge told them to come back Thursday morning and continue deliberating.

Willis’ defense attorney, Matthew Tallerico, told the News-Miner Friday that Willis is grateful and appreciates the jury’s

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