Man charged with killing roommate in Alaska in 2020 already facing trial in Oregon homicide

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A man charged with killing his roommate in the Fairbanks area in 2020 is already awaiting trial for another homicide in Oregon.

A Fairbanks grand jury indicted Aaron Mitchell Hague, 33, last Friday for the death of 61-year-old John McClelland, who went missing from North Pole in August of 2020. His remains have not been found. The grand jury heard from more than three dozen witnesses in bringing charges of second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and theft, against Hague.

Prosecutors said in a press release that Hague used McClelland’s credit card for more than $2,000 in purchases and cash withdrawals after McClelland’s death.

The indictment is sparse on details, but alleges that Hague killed McClelland around Aug. 14, 2020, and sometime within the next 12 days, concealed his body, and used the debit card.

McClelland was reported missing on August 20 of that year. A missing persons flier says he was last heard from about three days earlier. His truck was found in the North Pole area a few days later.

John McClelland, 61, has been missing from the North Pole, Alaska area since August 2020. His... — John McClelland, 61, has been missing from the North Pole, Alaska area since August 2020. His then-roommate has now been charged with murder. His remains have not been found.(From Alaska State Troopers)

On March 15, 2021, 28-year-old Anthony Alcorn was found dead near a trail in Gresham, Oregon. Police said the body had been there a day or two before they were called, according to a story posted at the time by NBC station KGW. The medical examiner determined his death was caused by “homicidal violence.”

Hague was arrested for that homicide on March 31, 2021, and is held with no bail. The indictment in Oregon alleges that he stole Alcorn’s identity and then killed him in order to cover it up.

Friday, Hague’s public defender in the Oregon case requested a delay of trial — which had originally been scheduled for July 25 of this year — due to the new charges against him in Alaska. Attorney Jon Sarre said he found out about the charges over the weekend when media reached out to him. The judge in the case, Andrew Lavin, said he had not heard of the charges either, and asked the defense and prosecution to come up with possible trial dates.

Alaska prosecutors say if convicted, Hague faces up to 99 years in prison for the Alaska murder charge. There are no court hearings yet scheduled for the Alaska homicide case.