Anchorage man sentenced to 65 years in prison for 2016 shooting that left 1 dead

Dec. 15—An Anchorage man was sentenced Tuesday to spend 65 years in prison for fatally shooting another man more than five years ago near downtown.

Tommy Rumph Jr., now 36, was found guilty by a jury last year on charges of first- and second-degree murder and misconduct involving a controlled substance. He pleaded guilty to misconduct involving a weapon because a previous felony conviction barred from owning guns when the shooting occurred.

On Sept. 13, 2016, Rumph argued with a co-worker, 30-year-old Treavonne Owens, after Owens had arrived unannounced and unwelcome at Rumph's home near 15th Avenue and E Street, attorneys said during Tuesday's sentencing hearing. Owens left but later returned, and around 6 a.m. the disagreement ended outside, where Rumph shot Owens with a .45-caliber handgun. Owens died at the scene.

The disagreement had involved drugs and alcohol, the judge said.

The shooting took place across from Central Middle School and near Chugach Optional School. Both schools closed immediately following the violence.

Owens' mother spoke during the sentencing hearing Tuesday and said the family wants the long judicial process to end.

"What transpired is not just about my son or Tommy Rumph," she said. "... It's about the people that have to deal with what transpired between these two boys after the fact. So the fighting, the arguing — it's not going to bring back my son."

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Judge Catherine Easter on Tuesday called the case tragic and said it illustrates "the results of using drugs, alcohol and possessing a gun."

An extended portion of Tuesday's sentencing hearing focused on questions raised by Rumph's attorney, assistant public defender Julia Moudy, about how the trial was handled. Moudy said she feels the process was unfair to Rumph and she realized after the trial that she hadn't addressed all defense strategies, including one that could have provided jurors the option to convict him on a lesser charge.

A juror had raised concerns shortly after Rumph was convicted about the role that his race played in jury deliberations, Moudy said during the sentencing hearing. She said the court rejected a motion to hold a hearing to determine whether race contributed to the jury's conviction of Rumph, who is Black.

Rumph will have the opportunity to address the issues raised by Moudy during the post-conviction appeals process, Judge Easter said Tuesday.

Easter sentenced Rumph to 65 years in prison. Moudy said he plans to appeal the sentence.