A Kenai jury has convicted 23-year-old River John George Aspelund of multiple charges, including first-degree murder, in the 2022 killing of his mother, 62-year-old Jeryl Ann Bates, at their home in Nikiski.

The verdict, delivered on Aug. 22 after a two-week trial, found Aspelund guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, and tampering with physical evidence.

The case began on Sept. 6, 2022, when Alaska State Troopers conducted a welfare check at Bates’ residence after her daughter reported she could not reach her and that Bates had failed to show up for work. Troopers discovered Bates’ body inside the home. An autopsy later determined she had suffered five gunshot wounds to the head and abdomen, along with numerous knife wounds.

Aspelund was found at the residen

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