Gilbert Dugaqua Sentenced to 40 Years for 2019 Homicide
From the Attorney General’s Office:
Jan. 6, 2023 (Anchorage, AK) – Today, 57-year-old Gilbert Dugaqua was sentenced by Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson for murdering his roommate in October 2019.
Judge Peterson sentenced Dugaqua to one count of second-degree murder, an unclassified felony, for murdering Teodoro Berdan in their shared residence on Oct. 3, 2019. The evidence showed that Dugaqua beat and kicked Berdan to death using steel-toed boots and a wooden rod. Dugaqua admitted to killing Berdan, but claimed he was acting in self-defense.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson found that Dugaqua has no prospects for rehabilitation, and that isolation from the community is necessary to prevent him from reoffending.
Dugaqua was on federal probation at the time of this offense and is currently pending proceedings in federal court.
From the Attorney General’s Office:
September 14, 2022 (Anchorage, AK) – After five hours of deliberation, on Sept. 8, an Anchorage jury convicted Gilbert Dugaqua on two counts of murder in the second degree and one count of manslaughter for the 2019 death of Teodoro Berdan.
Dugaqua and Berdan were roommates at the time, and while some circumstances of the killing remain unknown, the evidence showed that Dugaqua beat and kicked Berdan to death using steel-toed boots and a wooden rod. Dugaqua admitted to killing Berdan, but claimed he was acting in self-defense.
The case was investigated by the Anchorage Police Department and prosecuted by Anchorage Assistant District Attorneys Matt Heibel and Alice Curci. Victims for Justice supported the victim’s family throughout this three-year process. Dugaqua faces up to 99 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2023, at 9 am.
Update on 10/8/19:
The victim has been identified as 59-year-old Teodoro F. Berdan. Next-of-kin notification has been completed.
Update on 10/3/19:
Detectives have arrested Gilbert Dugaqua (53 years old) in this investigation. He faces multiple charges including Murder 2 and Manslaughter.
This is now a homicide investigation.
The preliminary investigation found that the suspect called Dispatch to report an assault involving an adult male and adult female inside the residence. Detectives have determined the suspect physically assaulted the adult male victim in the upper body. The circumstances surrounding the adult female’s injuries are still being investigated.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor.
Original 10/3/19 3:30 a.m.:
At 12:14 AM on Thursday, October 3, 2019, a citizen called Police Dispatch to report there had been a disturbance in his home and someone was badly injured. Officers responded and found a deceased adult male inside. An adult female in the home was transported to a hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Detectives believe they have made contact with everyone involved. This appears to be an isolated incident and no one is outstanding. The manner of death, the cause of the female’s injuries, and the circumstances of everyone’s involvement are still under investigation.
The victim’s identity will be released once next-of-kin notification procedures have been completed.
APD Case 19-35569
