Butte 2016 home invasion case working its way through the courts

PALMER — The trial of 23-year-old Shyheim Stefan Chavis, one of two Anchorage men involved in a July 2016 home invasion and shooting incident in Butte was turned over to jurors Thursday while a second man allegedly involved in the case — 22-year old Shaquan M. Johnson — appeared in Palmer Superior Court Friday.

Both men were originally charged with attempted murder, assault, burglary and armed robbery for their alleged involvement in a Plumley Road home invasion on July 21, 2016. Chavis faces a total of seven charges. According to court records, charges of murder, along with first and third-degree assault, and first-degree murder charges were dismissed in late November by the Palmer District Attorney’s office. He remains charged with three felonies, including third-degree assault, first-degree armed robbery and first-degree burglary.

According to court affidavits, Alaska State Troopers responded to a home invasion with shots fired call to find a husband and wife inside the home. The husband had been shot in the arm and shoulder, and the wife had a mark on her forehead, police stated in court documents.

The husband told police he was asleep at the time of the initial break-in while his wife was elsewhere in the house. Troopers said the man told them he heard his wife scream, jumped out of bed and grabbed a handgun. The victim said as he turned back, he was shot by one of the robbers before jumping through a window.

The wife reported she had heard something earlier while outside. Shortly after coming inside the house, she spotted a dark-skinned, slender male standing in front of her pointing a pistol in her face. According to court records, the victim grabbed the gun with both hands wrestling it away from her face while screaming.

Police were eventually able to match on-scene DNA evidence back to Chavis. Police interrogated Chavis while jailed in Anchorage on an unrelated case and stated Chavis admitted to being at the residence and shooting the husband. He further implicated Johnson as the person who held the wife at gunpoint. After obtaining a warrant to check cellphone records, police were able to verify that Johnson was in the immediate area at the time the shooting took place. Collected cell data showed both men traveling from Anchorage to Butte and back to Anchorage at the time of the complaint.

Both Johnson and Chavis remained jailed on $500,000 bail and court-appointed third party. A second pre-trial conference is scheduled for Nov. 9 and trial is scheduled to begin in mid-December.

Contact reporter Chris Ford at 352-2270 or chris.ford@frontiersman.com