Chavis convicted on multiple counts in Butte home invasion case

PALMER — A Palmer jury on Sept. 18 found Shyheim Stefan Chavis, 23, of Anchorage, guilty on all counts for his role in a July 2016 home invasion and shooting in Butte.

Chavis was found guilty on the charges of attempted murder in the first degree, two counts of first-degree assault, third-degree assaullt, two counts of robbery in the first degree and one count of burglary in the first degree.

Judge Kari Kristiansen ordered a presentencing report to be completed by Jan. 5, 2018 with sentencing set for Feb. 23, 2018.

Shaquan M. Johnson, 22, of Anchorage, is alleged to have also been part of the July 21, 2016 attack. He is being tried separately, currently held on $500,000 bail and court-appointed third party. A second pre-trial conference in Johnson’s case is scheduled for Nov. 9 and trial is scheduled to begin in mid-December.

According to court affidavits, Alaska State Troopers responded to a home invasion on Plumley Road 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.