Anchorage man found guilty of murder during second trial

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - An Anchorage man was found guilty of two counts of murder after a five-week trial.

Ryan Edwin, 28, was arrested in November 2018 for the Nov. 12 homicide of 27-year-old David Welch.

According to prosecutors, Edwin and his co-defendant, Dwayne Nelson, met Welch in the rear parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express at 4411 Spenard Road. Prosecutors state that Welch believed he was there to participate in the sale of controlled substances, the terms of which had been agreed to in a series of instant messages between friends of Welch and associates of Nelson and the defendant.

A few minutes after Welch entered the back seat of Nelson’s and Edwin’s car, Edwin, seated in the front passenger seat, turned and shot Welch once in the chest, according to prosecutors. The bullet passed through Welch’s body and the seat behind him, eventually coming to rest in the trunk, where investigators later found it. Welch scrambled out of the vehicle and fell to the ground as Nelson, the driver, began to speed away from the scene. However, the car stopped, and Edwin got out. Prosecutors say Edwin then forced Welch to give him a quantity of controlled substances before shooting him once more.

Welch ran inside the Holiday Inn to seek help. He was rushed to Providence Alaska Medical Center, where he died from his injuries later that day.

He was charged with murder in the first degree and one count of tampering with physical evidence. In the first trial, the jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict after five days of deliberations. Superior Court Judge William L. Morse declared a mistrial.

Nelson later pled guilty to first-degree murder in 2022 in a plea deal.

The second trial for Edwin started this past November and was finalized on Monday, Dec. 9.

Edwin was found guilty of two counts of murder in the second degree, one count of robbery in the first degree, and one count of misconduct involving weapons in the third degree.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict of murder in the first degree and tampering with physical evidence.

Edwin is scheduled to appear before Morse for sentencing on May 13, 2025. His sentencing could range from 15 to 99 years.

Edwin has six previous criminal convictions, including felony convictions for burglary, vehicle theft, and failure to stop at the direction of a police officer.

Alaska News Source spoke with one of Edwin’s defense attorneys, who said they would file a motion for a new trial based on the weight of the evidence.

Attorney Olivia Mackin said they would appeal because there was no DNA at the scene, no eyewitnesses, and no phone location data.

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