Federal jury convicts Alaska man of murder in 2012 shooting deaths of 2 Coast Guard co-workers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A federal jury in Alaska has convicted a man of murder in the shooting deaths of two of his co-workers at a Coast Guard communications station on Kodiak Island.
The jury returned its verdict Friday in the case of 62-year-old James Wells. He was charged with killing Coast Guardsmen Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Petty Officer Richard Belisle (BEHL'-eye-ul) in April 2012.
Prosecutors had alleged Wells, a civilian, was unhappy that he was increasingly irrelevant on the job through the advancement of the victims.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The jury convicted Wells of six felony charges: two counts each of first-degree murder, murder of a U.S. officer and use of a firearm in a violent crime.
Federal prosecutors said earlier they would not seek the death penalty if he was convicted.