Attorneys deliver opening statements in murder trial of Anchorage man charged after initial suspect cleared

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Opening statements were underway Thursday in the murder trial of Vincent Jovon Sandifer, who is accused of fatally shooting a 23-year-old man during a late-night neighborhood confrontation in Spenard nearly four years ago.

Sandifer, 22, faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter in the Nov. 11, 2022 death of Brad Robert.

The trial in Anchorage Superior Court follows an unusual series of events that initially saw another man arrested and held for more than a year and a half. Anchorage police originally charged Anthony Tinker III with Robert’s murder in late November 2022. Prosecutors dismissed all murder and evidence tampering charges against Tinker in July 2024 after concluding two women lied under oath to a grand jury.

Jessica Elaine Lowe and her daughter, Kathleen Juliette Lowe, were subsequently indicted on felony perjury charges. Prosecutors identified Sandifer as Kathleen Lowe’s boyfriend at the time of the shooting.

Prosecuting attorney Paul Miovas laid out the state’s timeline for jurors Thursday, describing how an argument that erupted at Kathleen Lowe’s Indiana Street apartment spilled into a nearby trailer park where Robert lived with his fiancée, Mary Ann Schneider.

Miovas said Robert and Schneider were resting inside their home when they heard a loud disturbance outside. According to prosecutors, Sandifer stormed out with an AR-style rifle, followed closely by Kathleen Lowe and then Jessica Lowe. When Robert stepped outside to intervene and attempted to separate the women, a physical struggle ensued.

Miovas said neighborhood surveillance captured Jessica Lowe yelling after the defendant just before the gunfire.

“Within two minutes of her yelling out, ‘Vince! Vince! Vince, I thought you were gonna keep it real!’ — two minutes, Brad Robert will be dead,” Miovas told jurors.

Miovas said seven shots were fired, with a single bullet striking Robert in the head. He urged jurors to review surveillance video from a nearby residence that documented the sequence of events.

“The facts are not gonna be complicated,” Miovas said. “You’ve already heard the video: ‘Vince, Vince, come on, Vince, quit playing.’ It was Vincent Sandifer, and within two minutes of her yelling that out, and you will hear Kathy say his name as well, you will hear all of these things.”

Defense attorney Emily Cooper countered that the case centers on rapid, chaotic reactions rather than premeditated violence, while pointing to what she described as serious missteps by investigators.

“This case is about two things: It’s about family and it’s about fear,” Cooper said during her opening statement. “It’s about the lengths you’ll go to protect your family, the choices you make in a split second and the fear of losing your life. It’s about how fear can cloud our judgment and how that’s true for every single person involved in this case.”

Cooper argued Robert unexpectedly inserted himself into an unfamiliar altercation in the dark, leading to a frantic escalation.

“Whoever shot Brad Robert was reacting and not taking aim,” Cooper said. “Mary Ann could only see silhouettes as she watched Brad put himself in the middle of an argument on their street, tugging on a woman he didn’t know.”

Cooper cautioned the jury against rushing to judgment and urged them to critically scrutinize the state’s evidence, noting how long law enforcement pursued the wrong suspect before shifting focus to Sandifer.

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Cooper told the panel. “Avoid gut reactions and tunnel vision. Be critical. Be skeptical of the government.”

Superior Court Judge Jack McKenna told jurors the trial is expected to last about three weeks. Testimony began Thursday afternoon following opening statements.

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