Fairbanks man convicted of 2017 murder using hatchet

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) - A Fairbanks man was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder on Wednesday, years after he swung a hatchet on another man at a nightclub in Fairbanks in 2017.

According to a press release from the Department of Law, 55-year-old Brett Gilbert was convicted on Feb. 1. Gilbert is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on June 1, and could face up to 99 years in prison.

“On the evening of July 30, 2017, Gilbert attacked Mitchell at the Club Machu, striking him repeatedly with a hatchet,” the release said. “Mitchell died of multiple chop wounds. During trial, Gilbert testified he was scared of Mitchell and argued he acted in a heat of passion. The jury disagreed and convicted Gilbert of murder in the first degree for intentionally causing the death of Mark Mitchell.”

Police initially reported that Gilbert used the hatchet “without warning or apparent provocation.”

Gilbert fled Club Manchu on Jesse Street in Fairbanks, and was later arrested “without incident” at his home.

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