Myers sentencing pushed to Friday for final considerations

PALMER — Wasilla man Mark Myers accepted a plea bargain of manslaughter for shooting and killing his father, Julian Myers.

Palmer Judge Kristen Stohler pushed Myers’ final judgment to Friday to make her last considerations.

“I still want to take some time think about it… mainly in terms of the issues that have been raised by the attorneys, some of the issues that have been raised by family members. I just want to sit on it for a little bit. I think it’s an important case and an important decision, and I think it should be made with a lot of contemplation,” Stohler said.

Myers was originally charged with two counts of murder in the second degree and one count of Manslaughter. The incident occurred late at night on Christmas Eve 2018. Myers was indicted by a Palmer Grand Jury in March of 2019.

Several family members spoke during the sentencing hearing, raising concerns about Myers including total time served and matters of mental health.

Glenn Shidner, representing the state, said the state conferred with Myers’ family members and considered his lack of prior offenses and felt that his plea agreement was appropriate. He said that Myers is facing a minimum of five years to serve.

“I know there’s individuals who would like to see a different offer, but at the end of the day, with the sons’ involvement and everyone else, this is the route that we agreed upon and the route we decided to take,” Shidner said.

Myers defense attorney, Richard Allen asked Judge Stohler to accept the plea agreement.

“Generally, in my experience, when both sides leave a little grumpy about how it went and a little unhappy that’s usually a pretty good indicator that justice has occurred, and that’s what happened here. Neither side has got exactly what they want, but I think both sides got something they can live with,” Stohler said.

Myers appeared telephonically during the sentencing hearing, making the following statement to the court, “ I do plan on doing family counseling and therapy… I just want to get past this. I know it’s going to stick with me for the rest of my life. I love and miss my father every day. It’s actually a nightmare when I wake up and I realize I was just having a dream and he’s not there anymore. I wish things could have gone differently every single day… I just want to get out and be a productive member of society. I want to try and help my family and my friends and myself. That’s the first thing I do, I gotta help myself before I can help them. That way, I can move forward.”

This is a developing story. Continue to see frontiersman.com for more coverage.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com