Jury Convicts Alaska Man In Coast Guard Killings

A federal jury in Alaska has convicted a man of murder in the shooting deaths of two of his co-workers at a Coast Guard communications station on Kodiak Island.

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The jury returned its verdict on Friday in the case of 62-year-old James Wells. He was charged with killing Coast Guardsmen Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Petty Officer Richard Belisle in April 2012.

Prosecutors had alleged Wells, a civilian, was unhappy that his position was increasingly irrelevant on the job because of the advancement of the victims.

The jury convicted Wells of six felony charges: two counts each of first-degree murder, murder of a U.S. officer and use of a firearm in a violent crime.

Federal prosecutors said earlier they would not seek the death penalty if he was convicted.

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