A second defendant in a Klawock murder case was sentenced on Monday to 60 years in jail with 20 years suspended. 25-year-old Moses Scott Blanchard pled guilty in June to second degree murder in the death of 80-year-old Lincoln Peratrovich.
Blanchard and two other defendants attacked Peratrovich at his home in March of 2023. Investigators say the attack followed inflammatory comments about the victim, which had circulated on social media. Blanchard told investigators that he and an accomplice, 24-year-old Blaise Dilts, saw a post alleging that Peratrovich had catcalled an underage girl and pursued her with an ax. Alaska State Troopers investigated the allegation and found that no crime had occurred.
Peratrovich died as a result of his injuries.
In a June plea deal, Blanchard changed his plea to guilty, dropping three other felony charges against him. Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Daniel Doty presided over the case.
Blanchard’s sentence is higher than Dilts’, who was sentenced in September to 40 years in jail with 25 suspended. Doty says Blanchard’s sentence reflects his role in the assault.
A third defendant in the case, 20-year-old Gonzalo Sanchez, is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 26 at the Prince of Wales Courthouse.
Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.
