A Juneau man who pleaded guilty to stabbing his neighbor to death at a senior and disabled housing facility in 2020 was sentenced on Tuesday, nearly five years after his arrest.
Superior Court Judge Amy Mead sentenced 34-year-old Joshua Allen Shaff to serve 70 years with 35 years suspended. That means after 35 years, he may be released on probation under a number of conditions.
He was charged with the murder of Majid Sateri, 69, also known as Mark Humford. In 2020, the victim’s family called for Shaff to serve the maximum penalty in prison, which was 99 years.
The sentencing comes after Shaff pleaded guilty last year to first-degree murder in an agreement with the state. Prosecutors dismissed two second-degree murder charges.
Sateri and Shaff were neighbors in the Mountain View Apartments. According to reporting at the time, Shaff called the police and reported the murder himself from the downtown Juneau apartment complex.
Shaff initially waived his right to a speedy trial. Half a decade later, he’s been sentenced for stabbing Sateri multiple times while experiencing a mental health crisis. This criminal case is one of many in Alaska that have faced delays in part due to a backlog that formed during the pandemic.
Shaff is currently being held at Lemon Creek Correctional Facility.
