Francis Edgar Roberts was a 72-year-old Alaska Native lifelong resident of Tanana who was fatally shot after a neighborhood dispute on March 3, 2023. Known as Dozer, he served four years in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era, worked as a firefighter and trapper, married Katherine (Kathy) Mayo in 1985, and was deeply connected to his family and the Yukon River community.

The confrontation began when Roberts and his wife returned to find snow pushed back onto their driveway. Charging documents described a dispute with their next-door neighbor and great-nephew, Francis James Roberts, during which Katherine Roberts said she was pushed to the ground. Francis Edgar Roberts later returned to the house with multiple gunshot wounds, identified his alleged shooter before losing consciousness, and died of his injuries. Authorities detained and later arrested Francis James Roberts; he was charged with first-degree murder and held on $5 million bail.

The prosecution’s case rested on eyewitness accounts, the victim’s identifying statement, the defendant’s proximity to the scene when contacted, and firearm and ammunition evidence described in the affidavit. If anyone knew Francis Edgar Roberts or witnessed the events in Tanana on March 3, 2023, please share what you know.