Man pleads guilty to 2018 killing of Anchorage teen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - An Anchorage man has pled guilty to the 2018 murder of 15-year-old Raynaldo Khotesouvan.

According to a press release from the Department of Law Luimariamofoa Polu, now 21, entered a plea of guilty in response to a charge of second-degree murder in the stemming from an incident that resulted in the death of 15-year-old East High School student Raynaldo Khoutesouvan.

According to initial reports, Khoutesouvan and one of his brothers were walking to a gas station to purchase fountain drinks when they encountered another group of boys. A verbal argument and then fist fight ensued, during which Polu allegedly shot and killed Khotesouvan.

Polu was arrested the day after the incident on suspicion of murder and charged as an adult, and told officers at the time that he was a member of the gang known as the Bloods, and that he believed Khotesouvan to be a member of a rival gang. Khotesouvan’s mother denied allegations that her son was a gang member.

Anchorage police also stated at the time that gangs in Anchorage are usually not affiliated with larger national organizations.

Polu is in Department of Corrections custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10, 2023.

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