Contributed by Sharon Aubrey
On Christmas Eve of 2018, my brother, Julian Eddie Myers, was brutally killed by his son in Wasilla.
Known by family as Eddie, it was a horrific shock to us to learn of his sudden death. When details unraveled in the case, I learned from Troopers, Eddie was shot eleven times at point blank range by his son, Mark. His other two sons were also present and served as witnesses against Mark. A few days later, I went with a dear friend to clean up the scene, hoping spare my nephews the agony of seeing once again the blood stains in their home. When I arrived, much to my dismay I saw my brother’s handwriting on the wall, “I have nothing left to give.” The heartache in Eddie’s final words tore my soul in two. Later learn of his extreme frustration working out of town only to find his money squandered and bills unpaid. It seemed so senseless that he’d spent his whole life pouring into this children, only for it to end so tragically. After 6 hours steam-cleaning blood out of the carpet, it had to be cut out. I also cleaned blood off the walls and doorways and spent hours with a magic eraser trying to remove those terrible words from the wall…but they remain permanently etched in my memory.
Originally, Mark told our family that the gun misfired. It had been new to him, bought second hand, and he realized only afterwards that someone must have filed down the firing pin so it shot automatically. He stated he hadn’t meant for it to go off like that, but the State Troopers proved otherwise. There was nothing wrong with the firing pin. Ballistics proved the gun operated as it should for a semiautomatic. Mark indeed pulled the trigger eleven times.
Our family, like most Alaskans, are no strangers to guns. From the time we were young all of us, including Eddie’s boys, were taught gun safety and the proper handling of firearms. We did not blame the gun for Eddie’s death, we laid blame where it was due, on Mark. As more details came out, our family learned of Mark’s intention to kill Eddie texted on a cellphone and told to more than one person. So it was no surprise when the Grand Jury found Mark guilty of Murder in the Second Degree as well as having Extreme Indifference for his crime. To date, Mark has not apologized for his crime to our family.
In spite of the convictions by the Grand Jury and the testimony of Mark and his brothers to the loving and caring status of their father, Mark continue to play the victim and plead not-guilty. The District Attorney eventually informed our family that Mark’s attorney was planning to take a slanderous tactic against Eddie’s character. They would paint him as a constant violent man requiring Mark to use deadly force. That lie infuriated me beyond comprehension, as it would anyone who truly knew my brother. My other nephews didn’t want to relive that event again, for a second time in trial court, and our family didn’t want to see Eddie slandered either, so the District Attorney called for a meeting in which we were informed based on statistics, Mark had a 99.7% chance of be found guilty at trial. But the stress in waiting for trial and the trial itself would be extremely emotionally difficult. For the sake of Eddie’s other two sons, the DA offered a plea deal. We were told Mark refused the deal twice. When COVID delayed the courts, the DA informed us he had been instructed to reoffer the plea deals, despite Mark’s previous refusals and was pending trial. We were not happy.
The deal was for aggravated manslaughter, 15 years with 5 suspended, leaving 10 to serve throwing out Murder 2. However, with “Good Time” a third of the sentence would be erased, leaving Mark a little over six years to serve. It was not truly justice, but the DA hoped it would send a clear message: You are responsible for the death of your father. The message wasn’t received.
At sentencing, I employed the judge to ensure mental health treatment for my nephew, but Mark and his attorney fought against the requirement. Thankfully, the judge agreed with me. With Mark’s sentencing in June, I hoped things would emotionally calm down for the next four years or so while Mark served his allotted remaining time. You can imagine my family’s surprise when we received notice in September Mark was requesting early release on parole in October. We felt utterly betrayed by the system tasked with providing justice for my brother’s violent death. Apparently, having killed Eddie while SB-91, a heinous piece of legislation, was still technically on the books allowed Mark the right to apply for early parole this year and potentially early furlough next year, something the District Attorney assured us was not supposed to happen. Yet, it has.
On October 19th, our family met on Zoom with the Parole Board in Mark’s case. Having never participated in such an event, I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by the members of the Parole Board who were thoughtful and pointed in asking questions in this case. They appeared to have a wonderful grasp on the justifications for parole and kept in mind the safety of society. Equally as impressive was the fact, they desired genuine accountability from the offender, not only regarding his crime but in real progress made towards rehabilitation. As I listened to their contemplative questioning, it became evident to more than just me that neither of those standards had been met in Mark’s case. Early release parole was thankfully denied.
This entire experience has been soul-wrenching and exhausting. In spite of the failure of SB-91 and all the negative implications it still has on families like mine around the State, I feel a sliver of hope remains for justice within the members serving on our State’s Parole Board. I am truly grateful for the Parole Board members’ candor and commitment to serve in often unrecognized and unthankful positions. Those in our society who have not had to experience tragedy like mine are being protected by the Parole Board members’ service, though the public probably doesn’t fully understand the dynamics of this protection yet.
Therefore, I wanted to say to each and every parole board member, “You are making a difference.” And my family humbly thanks you for your service.