‘Ninjas killed my parents.’ Man sentenced after Christmas Eve killings, AK officials say
A man has been sentenced to 60 years behind bars in the armed robbery and murder of an Alaska couple that happened while a 5-year-old boy was in the home, prosecutors said.
The boy told police that “‘ninjas killed my parents,” the Alaska Department of Law wrote in a news release.
The 5-year-old was found in a parking lot after the shooting on Christmas Eve 2016 and said the “ninjas” sent him to his room before the killings, the Anchorage Daily News reported at the time.
DeAnthony Harris, 27, was sentenced on Nov. 19 to 80 years in prison, with 20 years suspended, for 60 years of active jail time, prosecutors said.
McClatchy News couldn’t reach his attorney for comment.
Harris was the last of four people to get jail time in the deaths of Christopher and Danielle Brooks.
It started as a robbery, with another suspect, Savon Wiley, enticing Christopher Brooks “under the guise of buying marijuana,” prosecutors said.
Harris and two other men then came into the family’s home with guns to rob Christopher Brooks of pot and cash, prosecutors said.
“Shortly after entering the Brooks’ residence, all three men started firing their guns. Danielle Brooks was murdered inside the residence and Christopher Brooks was killed as he attempted to crawl out of the residence onto the exterior steps,” they said.
Wiley was sentenced to 76 years, with 20 years suspended, prosecutors said. The others – Jaylyn Franklin and Lamarkus Mann – were sentenced to 100 years with 20 years suspended, and 109 years, respectively, officials said.
Christopher and Danielle Brooks had been married about 10 months when they were killed, according to Danielle Brooks’ obituary. The ceremony was small, with just a few family members in attendance, including Danielle Brooks’ young son, and the bride “was happy,” her obituary said.
The 32-year-old “was a loving wife and mother. Her son meant everything to her. Danielle once said, ‘I love my son to death, he is the best thing that has happened to me. When he was born, I changed my life for him.’ Danielle also loved her family and friends deeply. She was a driven person and could accomplish anything she set her mind to,” the obituary said.
Meanwhile, Christopher Brooks, 38, “had a heart of gold and was willing to help anyone at any given time,” his obituary said.
He loved spending time with his wife, kids and other family and friends, was a Seattle Seahawks football fan and “could be found outside playing basketball with neighborhood children, BBQing with family and friends or inside on his gaming systems,” his obituary said. “It was the simple things that Chris enjoyed most about life.”
Danielle Brooks’ son, who’s now almost 13 years old, went to live with relatives after the shooting, Luba Bartnitskaia, an assistant district attorney in Alaska, told McClatchy News in a phone call.
He’s been “incredibly traumatized” and “profoundly impacted,” she said.
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 11:31 AM with the headline "‘Ninjas killed my parents.’ Man sentenced after Christmas Eve killings, AK officials say."
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