(Anchorage, AK) – Friday, Superior Court Judge Jack McKenna sentenced Brian Tyler McGee, 29, for the vehicular homicide of Chase Bowerson, 26. Pursuant to a plea agreement, McGee pled guilty to Criminally Negligent Homicide and Leaving the Scene of an Accident Without Assisting an Injured Person. McGee was sentenced to serve 4 ½ years with 2 years suspended, for a total of 2 ½ years of active jail time. This plea agreement was reached after the court rejected the previous agreement that called for a sentence of 1 ½ years to serve.
The convictions stemmed from an incident in the early morning hours of Jan. 2, 2021. On the night of Jan. 1, McGee and Bowerson went to several bars in Anchorage and Wasilla with McGee driving. At approximately 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 2, a fight between the two men ended with McGee pulling off on the northbound side of the Glenn Highway, just south of Eagle River. McGee forced Bowerson out of the car and drove away with Bowerson’s coat and other property. McGee left these items at the front door of Bowerson’s apartment in Eagle River and got back on the Glenn Highway, heading southbound toward Anchorage.
At approximately 4 a.m. as he was driving southbound on the Glenn Highway, McGee approached Bowerson, who was walking and struck Bowerson with his vehicle. McGee did not stop and left Bowerson on the shoulder of the roadway just north of the Hiland exit. Bowerson was not found for another four hours. Traffic cameras in Anchorage spotted McGee deliberately avoiding marked APD patrol cars as he traveled back to his home. When McGee was apprehended later that day, too much time had passed to determine his blood alcohol level at the time of the homicide.
The initial investigation of this case suggested the collision was the result of McGee deliberately turning toward and striking Bowerson, which resulted in an indictment against McGee for Murder in the First Degree, Murder in the Second Degree, Manslaughter, and the two offenses to which the defendant pleaded guilty.
Further investigation resulted in two expert opinions, based on a review of the scene evidence, that independently concluded that McGee had not deliberately steered toward Bowerson. Both experts possessed additional expertise in pedestrian impact collisions and determined that the initial assessment of the tire marks and the position of Bowerson in the road when he was struck was mistaken. The experts determined from the damage to McGee’s vehicle, the debris on the road, and the limited tire mark evidence that Bowerson was struck by the right front portion of McGee’s vehicle, and that McGee’s vehicle then veered to the left.
After considering the experts’ opinions, the State determined the evidence no longer supported a conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt that McGee had acted intentionally in striking Bowerson. The State dismissed the murder charges but retained the charges for negligent homicide and leaving the scene of the accident.
As stated on the record during this morning’s sentencing proceedings, the State entered into an agreement based on an evaluation of the strength of the evidence and the need to promote public safety by ensuring McGee, who had no prior criminal history, was held accountable.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Travis Atkinson of the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit.
(Anchorage, AK) – Friday, Superior Court Judge Jack McKenna sentenced Brian Tyler McGee, 29, for the vehicular homicide of Chase Bowerson, 26. Pursuant to a plea agreement, McGee pled guilty to Criminally Negligent Homicide and Leaving the Scene of an Accident Without Assisting an Injured Person. McGee was sentenced to serve 4 ½ years with 2 years suspended, for a total of 2 ½ years of active jail time. This plea agreement was reached after the court rejected the previous agreement that called for a sentence of 1 ½ years to serve.
