An Aleknagik man will serve three years of jail time after pleading guilty in the death of his wife, who was stabbed multiple times in February.
Robin Chythlook, 52, was sentenced to 10 years of jail time with seven years suspended, meaning he will serve three years.
Chythlook had originally been charged with attempted first-degree murder, but instead pleaded guilty Thursday to a reduced charge of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon.
Chythlook allegedly stabbed his wife more than two dozen times at their home, then threatened law enforcement when they responded to the scene.
Assistant district attorney Pamela Dale agreed to settle with a guilty plea to the reduced charge, saying proving attempted murder would have been difficult to do.
“I would’ve had to prove that he intended to kill her,” Dale said after the hearing. “He did stab her a great number of times, he stabbed her 28 times. What was unusual is that it wasn’t the sort of stabbing through the body that I would’ve been able to argue to the jury was a substantial step towards trying to kill her.”
Dale described the wounds as closer to a half-inch-deep punctures.
Investigating state troopers found Chythlook had used two knives in the brutal, unprovoked attack.
Chythlook’s sentence fits the guidelines adopted under the state’s recent criminal justice reform, known as Senate Bill 91, Dale said.
“When this case came in before SB 91 he would’ve been presumptive seven to 11 years. After the change in SB 91 he was presumptive five to nine years. And so the 10 with the seven (suspended) is within the sentencing range,” Dale said.
Chytlook will be on probation for three years after his release, and will be required to attend counseling for alcoholism and domestic violence.
He has been in custody since his February arrest.
