18-year-old stabs father

WASILLA — An argument over country music escalated into an attack involving a machete Saturday, according to court documents.

Alaska State Troopers responding to reports of a stabbing at a house along Charley Drive around 9 p.m., May 2 where they found the assailant and two victims — a man and a woman — lying on the ground around a fire covered in blood, according to an affidavit.

Skyler Brocker, 18, of Wasilla, faces one charge of second-degree assault, two charges of third-degree assault, and a single count of fourth-degree assault in connection with the incident, court documents show.

Witnesses told troopers the incident started when Brocker became upset with the music his father was playing, according to an affidavit authored by trooper Matthew Kessler. Brocker went inside the residence and locked the door.

When his dad kicked in the door to get back inside, Brocker started stabbing him with an 8-inch knife he kept on his person. Brocker’s father turned and ran out of the house, with his son chasing him.

When his father fell to the ground, Brocker repeatedly stabbed him “as hard as he could,” until the female victim — whose last name also is Brocker — was able to grab the young man by the neck and pull him off of his father, which caused Brocker to lose the knife, according to the affidavit.

The woman “said she thought (Brocker) was trying to murder them,” Kessler wrote.

When his father went to call 911, Brocker retrieved a machete from inside the house, and emerged swinging it at the two. The two overpowered Brocker and took the machete away from him.

Brocker told troopers he didn’t like the country music he’d heard, and that the male victim had a knife and swung it at him, cutting him on the hand.

Brocker ”stated (he) does not now what happened after that, as he blacked out,” Kessler wrote.

Mental health issues may have played a role in the incident. The female witness told troopers Brocker is schizophrenic but denies it, and should be on medication, according to the affidavit.

Authorities arraigned Brocker in the Palmer District Court about 10 a.m., Sunday, though a bail amount hadn’t been immediately recorded in the CourtView system. He remained in Mat-Su Pretrial Facility Monday morning, according to state Department of Corrections documents.

When troopers checked state law enforcement databases, they discovered Brocker “had an officer safety advisement that Skyler carries a machete in his pants,” Kessler wrote.

The male victim was taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center via ambulance, according to the affidavit and borough emergency manager Casey Cook.

He had multiple stab wounds, according to the affidavit.

The next step in the judicial process will be presentation before a grand jury, which has the power to amend charges filed by the district attorney.

The second-degree assault charge is a class B felony and could net Brocker up to 10 years and a $100,000 fine upon conviction. Third-degree assault is a class C felony, and could net Brocker up to five years and fine of $50,000 for each count upon conviction. Fourth-degree assault is a class A misdemeanor, and could net Brocker a maximum sentence of a year in jail and $10,000 in fines upon conviction.

Brocker has no previous court records as an adult.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.