An Anchorage jury on June 29, 2026, returned a mixed verdict against Zarrius Hildabrand, 23, a former U.S. Army soldier charged in the death of his wife [1]. Prosecutors had pursued first-degree murder, which under Alaska law requires proof of premeditation. The case proceeded to trial in the Alaska Superior Court, Third Judicial District, on three counts: first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and evidence tampering [1].
The jury acquitted Hildabrand of first-degree murder, rejecting the premeditation theory, but convicted him on both second-degree murder and evidence tampering [1]. The split finding signals that jurors credited the killing as intentional but not planned in advance, the distinction Alaska law draws between the two degrees of homicide. No verdict on any additional counts was reported.
Hildabrand faces sentencing on the two convictions. No sentencing date was announced as of the verdict date, and no sentencing range was reported in available sources [1].
Post-trial proceedings, including any motion for a new trial or appeal, had not been publicly filed as of the verdict date. A conviction for second-degree murder in Alaska carries a potential sentence of up to 99 years under state sentencing statutes, though the specific range applicable to this case was not reported [1].