Homicide Investigation on the 5200-block of Mockingbird Drive
Update on 7/11/25:
Jesse Jones Sentenced to 77 years for the 2023 Murder of Josiah Goecker and Assault of Rosemarie Ortiz
From the Attorney General’s Office
July 11, 2025 (Anchorage, AK) – Today in front of a packed courtroom, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson sentenced Jesse Jones, 28, to a composite sentence of 77 years for the murder of Josiah Goecker, 34, and assault of Rosemarie Ortiz at the Alpine Apartments on Oct. 23, 2023.
Goecker was a leasing manager for the apartment complex. Jones came to the leasing office and confronted Ortiz, then 33, and Goecker after a notice of non-renewal had been placed on his door. Within seconds Jones produced a handgun. After a brief struggle, Goecker retreated with his hands up and was shot at least seven times in front of co-worker Ortiz. Jones fled the scene and was apprehended approximately three days later. While on the run he disposed of the firearm and spent the bulk of his time high on methamphetamine. Jones was convicted at trial of Murder in the First Degree for the death of Goecker, Assault in the Third Degree for threatening Ortiz, and Tampering with Evidence for disposing of the weapon after the homicide.
Before imposing sentence, Peterson heard from nine members of the Goecker family about the impact the crime has had on them. They expressed heartfelt emotion about Goecker’s life and the kind and compassionate husband, father, son, brother, and community member he was. Peterson also heard from members of Jones’ family and from Jones.
Peterson found that Jones had numerous opportunities to “change the course of the day” but instead made repeated choices that ended Goecker’s life, noting that this was not an “honest mistake, or snap decision” and that by contrast Goecker “demonstrated compassion and peacefulness” in how he interacted with Jones on the day of the homicide, noting that Goecker “put his hands up, he backed off and gave the defendant the opportunity to walk away.”
Peterson also considered Jones’ prior criminal history and past offense conduct, which demonstrated frequent “disproportionate” and “unbalanced and violent responses” to “perceived slights” and found that the primary sentencing factor he had to consider was isolation and the need to confine Jones to protect the public and to ensure that Jones does not hurt or kill somebody in the future.
Based on the sentencing statutes and caselaw Jones faced potential sentences of 30 years to 99 years for Murder in the First Degree; 0 to 2 years for Assault in the Third Degree and 0 to 2 years for Tampering with Physical Evidence. The defense attorney recommended a sentence of 30 to 40 years to serve. The prosecution recommended the court impose 78 years for the Murder in the First Degree and two consecutive years for the Assault in the Third Degree, with concurrent time for the Tampering with Evidence charge, for a composite term of 80 years. The court imposed a term of 75 years for the Murder in the First Degree and two years to run consecutive for the Assault in the Third Degree, with an additional two years for the Tampering with Evidence to run concurrent to the other sentences, for a composite term of 77 years.
The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Brittany Dunlop and Assistant District Attorney Dekota Smith of the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of Paralegal Kimberly Smith. The case was investigated by the Anchorage Police Department Homicide Unit.
Update on 3/4/25:
From the Attorney General’s Office
Feb. 13, 2025 (Anchorage, AK) – Today, an Anchorage jury returned guilty verdicts for Murder in the First Degree, two counts of Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the Third Degree and Tampering with Physical Evidence for Jesse Lee Jones.
The charges stem from the October 23, 2023 shooting death of 34-year-old Josiah Goecker. Goecker was the community director for the Alpine Apartments in Anchorage, where Jones was living with his girlfriend. After Goecker posted a notice of non-renewal of their lease on the couple’s door, Jones armed himself and went to the leasing office where he shot Goecker at least six times. Another employee was present and witnessed the event, and was placed in fear that she might also have been killed by the defendant. Jones fled the scene and was apprehended by the Alaska State Troopers in Palmer on October 26, 2023. He ultimately confessed to the murder.
At trial, Jones, 28, claimed that he acted in the “heat of passion” when he shot Goecker, and that his charges should be mitigated to manslaughter. He also argued that he acted in self-defense, which would have absolved him of criminal liability for the murder charges. The jury rejected both of those defenses.
Sentencing is set for July 11, 2025, in front of the trial Judge Andrew Peterson. For the highest charge, Murder in the First Degree, Jones faces a sentencing range of 30 to99 years. The case was investigated by the Anchorage Police Department, Homicide Unit, and prosecuted by District Attorney Brittany Dunlop and Assistant District Attorney Dekota Smith and supported by Kimberly Smith at the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office.
Update on 10/26/23:
At 1:47 AM on October 26, 2023, Alaska State Troopers responded to the area of Joes Drive for a verbal disturbance. Upon arrival AST identified one of the involved individuals as Jesse Jones. A computer check confirmed Jones had an arrest warrant for murder in the first degree related to an Anchorage Police investigation. Jones was arrested without incident and handed over to APD.
APD transported Jones to the Anchorage Police Department for questioning by detectives. Once that process has been completed, Jones will be remanded at the Anchorage Jail on his warrant.
Update on 10/25/23:
The victim has been identified as 34-year-old Josiah Goecker. Next-of-kin notification procedures have been completed.
Update on 10/24/23:
The suspect in yesterday’s Mockingbird Drive homicide has been identified as 27-year-old Jesse Lee Jones. Detectives have obtained a warrant for Jones’ arrest for the charges of Murder I, two counts of Murder II, and Assault III.
Jones’ current whereabouts is unknown. Anyone with information regarding his location is asked to call Police Dispatch at 3-1-1 (option #1) or 907-786-8900 (option #0). To remain anonymous, you may leave a tip online at www.AnchorageCrimeStoppers.com. Jones is 6’00 tall, 175 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Jones may be armed and should not be approached.
Update on 10/23/23 at 10:55 PM:
At 3:48 PM Anchorage Police responded to the 5200-block of Mockingbird Drive regarding a shooting. Upon arrival, police located an adult male inside an apartment building with at least one gunshot wound to the upper body. He was declared deceased at the scene; his death is being investigated as a homicide.
SWAT responded to conduct a suspect search. SWAT is currently clearing from the area; the Crime Scene Team will now arrive to process the scene. There will be a continued police presence in the area while that happens. All roads have re-opened.
No arrests have been made and there is no suspect information available for release. While the motive for the shooting remains under investigation, and leads are being followed up on, police believe this was an isolated event and not random.
Anyone with information regarding this incident, to include surveillance footage of the area, is asked to call APD Dispatch at 3-1-1 (option #1) or 907-786-8900 (option #0).
Original on 10/23/23 at 4:50 PM:
At 3:48 PM on October 23, 2023, Anchorage Police responded to the 5200-block of Mockingbird Drive regarding a shooting. APD Special Operations has responded to the scene to assist with the suspect search. That work unit includes the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT), the Technical Support Unit (TSU), the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT), and/or the Mobile Intervention Team (MIT). Depending on the actions of the suspect, our response may require using a variety of tactics and tools (to include the drone) to apprehend him/her. This could also involve the deploying of chemical agents; nearby citizens with respiratory illnesses/sensitivities should remain inside and make sure doors and windows are closed.
There is a large police presence throughout the Mockingbird Drive/Alpenhorn Avenue area containing the large apartment complexes. Please follow officers’ instructions if you are in the area to include evacuation of your home if necessary. Most area residents are being asked to shelter in place. If you do not need to be in the vicinity, avoid it and seek alternative routes until further notice.
We ask both the public and the media to refrain from posting/publishing photos and/or video of the scene until the situation is over. Showing tactical positions and movements in these types of situations can put the public and officers’ safety at risk.
We appreciate the community's cooperation and understanding during our response, and we will keep you informed of any new developments.
APD Case 23-34537
