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Bethel man to serve 35 years in prison for stabbing death

The Nora Guinn Justice Complex in Bethel, Alaska.
MaryCait Dolan
/
KYUK
The Nora Guinn Justice Complex in Bethel.

A Bethel man has been sentenced to serve 35 years in prison for a stabbing death in a Bethel home in 2022.

According to the state, John Japhet entered the home of an ex-girlfriend in Bethel and stabbed 32-year-old Paul John in the chest. Court documents say John was sleeping in a bed with the former girlfriend when he was stabbed.

Japhet pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in May. In late October, Bethel Superior Court Judge Nathaniel Peters sentenced him to a total sentence of 50 years in prison, with 15 years suspended.

Japhet was also convicted of felony third-degree assault based on multiple prior assault convictions. He is currently being held at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center in Bethel.

Evan Erickson is a reporter at KYUK who has previously worked as a copy editor, audio engineer and freelance journalist.