Bukurim Miftari, charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, was found guilty on all counts Monday.
The trial, which began in November, came to a close today as Miftari was found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, kidnapping and tampering with physical evidence. He has remained in jail on $1-million bond since his arrest more than two years ago.
In September 2012, officers from the Anchorage Police Department found Reid’s naked body in a ditch along Fairbanks Street near a strip club she visited the night before. She died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Reid and Miftari were seen together at the Great Alaskan Bush Company, located on East International Airport Road, along with three other people.
Reid and her girlfriend left a few hours later and went to the other woman’s apartment. According to prosecutors, Miftari eventually showed up to the apartment with a gun and kidnapped Reid.
Police say Reid’s clothes had been scattered on both sides of the street when they found her.
Reid had been a drug dealer, according to both prosecutors and defense attorneys. But her stepdaughter, Rayana Jackson, says murder wasn’t the answer, especially as her family has had to “make due” in light of Reid’s death.
“I was happy of the verdict,” said Jackson, adding that her family is now separated. “And she was my mom, so I needed justice.”
Moments after Monday’s verdict, an outburst from Miftari’s mother — who needed medical attention — required the courtroom to be cleared briefly.
Sentencing is set for Apr. 16, 2015.