A man accused of killing his friend with a hammer was back in court Friday to change his plea to guilty.
Prosecutors say 26-year-old former Airman First Class James Thomas struck 22-year-old Senior Airman Clinton Reeves multiple times with a hammer, then disposed of his body in a ravine.
Thomas agreed to plea guilty Friday to one count of second-degree extreme indifference murder and two counts of tampering with physical evidence, according to prosecutors.
Reeves was initially reported missing April 23, 2012, launching a large search effort by U.S. Air Force officials and Reeves’ family in Kansas and California. Reeves’ body was found May 8, 2012 by three women walking along Skyline Drive in Eagle River, according to Anchorage police.
The USAF Office of Special Investigations worked alongside the Anchorage Police Department, whose investigation led to Thomas’ arrest the same day Reeves’ body was found. He was originally charged with six counts of tampering with physical evidence and labeled as a person of interest in Reeves’ death. A hammer with Reeves’ blood on it was later found in Thomas’ truck.
He was indicted in June 2012 by a grand jury on 11 charges, including one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree robbery, as well as the original evidence tampering charges.
Thomas’ plea agreement calls for a sentence of 50 years in prison for the second-degree murder conviction, with 20 suspended, as well as two sentences of five years for each conviction of evidence tampering, with three years suspended for each, according to Robert Henderson, the state’s prosecutor with the Office of Special Prosecutions.
“If the Court ultimately accepts the plea agreement Mr. Thomas will receive a composite sentence of 55 years with 23 years suspended (a composite of 32 years to serve),” Henderson said. “Mr. Thomas will be placed on felony probation for a period of 10 years following his release from incarceration.”
Sentencing is scheduled for July 24.