Alaska Jury Convicts Man In Roommate Death—Then Another Murder Case Surfaces

An Alaska man has been found guilty of killing his roommate in 2020. Surprisingly, the same man is also accused of murdering another individual in Oregon the following year. On April 7, a Fairbanks jury convicted 37-year-old Aaron Hague of manslaughter for the death of 61-year-old John McClelland.

He has also been found guilty of theft in the second degree and tampering with physical evidence. However, the jury acquitted him of the first-degree murder charge. The incident took place in North Pole, Alaska, in August 2020. Hague said he had been sharing his apartment with McClelland since the fall of 2019.

But their bond strained over time, and Hague shot McClelland. Hague told the court that he had killed his roommate in self-defense, but the claim was rejected. The jury determined that the convict benefited from McClelland’s death. He began using the deceased’s debit card to make purchases, stole his car, and filed an unemployment insurance claim in his name.

Meanwhile, Hague also began texting McClelland’s brother from his phone, claiming that McClelland was very sick and needed money for his treatment. The incident came to light when the brother asked the police to conduct a welfare check on McClelland.

When the police reached their apartment, Hague lied to them that even he was getting texts from McClelland, requesting money to pay for his medical expenses. The next day, he fled the scene and hitchhiked to Anchorage, where he began living in a homeless shelter.

However, it was not the end of his crimes. At the homeless shelter, he met a 28-year-old man named Anthony Alcorn, who looked eerily similar to him. In order to protect himself from being caught by authorities, Hague allegedly stole Alcorn’s ID card and assumed his identity to travel to different places.

He then finally settled in Portland, Oregon, and continued to use Alcorn’s ID. To cover his tracks, he called the real Alcorn to Oregon, claiming that he would help him get a high-paying job. But when the man arrived, Hague allegedly murdered him. Alcorn’s body was found near the Springwater Corridor in Gresham in March 2021.

Meanwhile, detectives were on the lookout for Hague and distributed his picture among locals. A TriMet video operator recognized him and alerted authorities. Police finally arrested Hague in Gresham on March 30, 2021.

His trial for Alcorn’s murder is scheduled to begin in May 2026. He is facing first-degree murder and identity theft charges in the case. On the other hand, he will be sentenced for McClelland’s killing on August 20, 2026.

Hague is facing up to 20 years in prison for manslaughter, and up to 5 years each for theft and tampering with evidence. He is currently being held at the Alaska Department of Corrections without bond and is expected to be moved to Portland once the Alcorn trial begins. Notably, McClelland’s remains have not been recovered five years after his death.