Man gets 18 years for attempted murder

PALMER -- Two years and four months removed from shooting a 75-year-old grandmother in the face, Andrew L. Coffman, 20, Wasilla, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Eric Smith to serve the next 18 years of his life in prison.

Coffman was sentenced to 30 years with 15 years suspended for the attempted murder of Mary Rogers, plus one year for assaulting her grandson, Robert Wood, and one year for stalking Elizabeth Ingram, Rogers' granddaughter.

The sentencing was the culmination of events that began in 2001, when he met Elizabeth Ingram while working at the Wasilla Carrs. According to defense attorney Robert Herz, Coffman and Ingram entered a relationship that left then 18-year-old Coffman so confused and depressed that he acted out of character when he showed up at Rogers' home on the night of Jan. 25, 2002, to speak with Ingram about their relationship.

When Rogers heard someone outside her house that night, she sent her grandson, Joseph Woods, to investigate. Wasilla police officer, Jean Pierre Achee's affidavit reported that Coffman then pointed a gun at Woods, telling him to move or he would shoot him. Woods turned around and ran into the house with Coffman chasing him.

Upon entering the house, Coffman saw Mary Rogers standing in the kitchen with a pistol pointed at him, according to Achee's affidavit. Coffman also had his gun pointed at Rogers. When Rogers told Coffman to leave or she would shoot, Coffman looked at her for a moment and shot her in the face.

After the shooting, Coffman fled the house and was later found hiding under a nearby car. The one-year stalking sentencing resulted from Coffman later violating the terms of his bail by contacting Ingram at the Wasilla Carrs.

Rogers, whose jaw was shattered after the shooting, was unable to attend the sentencing, but District Attorney Roman Kalytiak reported that her health had deteriorated since the incident, and she now has trouble speaking.

Moments before the sentencing, Coffman had a chance to address the court. He was disappointed that he did not have the opportunity to directly speak to Rogers, he said, who was unable to attend due to the recent death of her husband.

"I just wanted to tell them how ashamed and disgusted I am at myself for what I did," Coffman said, "I would take it all back if I could. I had no right to hurt Mrs. Rogers or point the gun at Mr. Woods or make Beth afraid of me."

Before handing down the sentence, Smith said he took into consideration five different criteria: rehabilitation, general deterrence, special deterrence, reaffirmation of societal norms and isolation.

"General deterrence [deterring others from committing the same crime] and community condemnation are always a criteria," he said, "especially in the context of an attempted murder conviction."

He went on to say that, "Isolation necessarily has to be a consideration because of the seriousness of the crime."

Smith recognized that the sentencing was relatively lenient when compared to similar cases, but the judge said he took into consideration the fact that Coffman had exhibited a huge amount of remorse for what he did, along with Coffman's "very favorable prospect of rehabilitation."

"I honestly don't think I'm going to see Mr. Coffman again," said the judge. He did conclude with a warning, however, saying, "If Mr. Coffman loses it again and commits another assault, or God forbid, another attempted murder, then isolation is going to kick in hard."

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.