ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A corrections officer who murdered his wife and teenage daughter — then used their phones to impersonate them while on the run — has been sentenced to 150 years in prison.
Jalooni Blackshear, a former Alaska corrections officer, will spend the rest of his life behind bars after pleading guilty to the murders of his wife Raechyl Blackshear, 35, and his 14-year-old daughter Jayla Blackshear.
It Started When His Daughter Went to Police
On March 30, 2022, Jayla walked into the Anchorage Police Department and accused her father of sexually abusing her.
When Jalooni Blackshear found out, he convinced his wife to bring Jayla back to the police station on April 3, 2022 — with the goal of getting her to take back her story.
That was the last time anyone saw either of them alive.
He Fled — Then Pretended to Be Them
Days after the murders, Blackshear left Alaska and headed east across the country.
But before he ran, he took his wife’s and daughter’s phones.
“It was later discovered that after murdering his wife and child, he took their phones and pretended to be them, to include telling his surviving children that mommy missed them and to wish one a happy birthday,” prosecutors wrote.
He messaged his own surviving children — as their dead mother.
Bodies Found After a Missed Doctor’s Appointment
On April 15, 2022, Raechyl Blackshear failed to show up for a scheduled doctor’s appointment.
Officers responded to her home and discovered her body and Jayla’s in an upstairs bedroom. Both had been shot in the head.
Using activity from the victims’ phones, investigators tracked Blackshear across the country to Staten Island, New York, where he was arrested.
Judge: His Actions Were ‘Depraved, Cruel and Calculated’
At sentencing, Superior Court Judge Josie Garton found that Blackshear had subjected his wife and daughters to years of physical and sexual violence — and kept them silent through fear.
When Jayla finally found the courage to speak up, he killed her and her mother.
In handing down the 150-year sentence, Judge Garton called Blackshear’s decision to impersonate his victims after killing them “depraved, cruel and calculated.”
A Community Left Grieving
After the bodies were discovered, Jayla’s classmates and teachers gathered at a local park to hold a memorial in her honor.
“She was a fun, outgoing person who never let anyone put her down, and she always tried to make everyone else around her smile,” said her friend Jalysa Osborne.
Her teacher, Shannon Velez, struggled to accept the news.
“I kept telling myself it really wasn’t her. It really wasn’t. It’s not her, it’s not her,” Velez said.
Jayla had been brave enough to do what so many victims cannot — she came forward. That courage cost her her life.
Jalooni Blackshear will not be eligible for release. At 150 years, the sentence ensures he dies behind bars.
This case is a painful reminder of how often danger hides closest to home — and how much courage it takes to speak up. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
