When a jury found Christopher Strawn guilty of murder in October 2017, his sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 20, 2018. That sentencing was delayed at that time, and has now been pushed back until June, with some uncertainty about whether that hearing will happen.
In Juneau Superior Court this past Friday, Judge Philip Pallenberg scheduled the sentencing for 9 a.m. June 11. The delay in the date is to complete a psychological evaluation for Strawn, 34, who was convicted for the Oct. 20, 2015 shooting death of 30-year-old Brandon Cook.
Dr. John Kesselring is performing the psychological evaluation, and Pallenberg said he heard from Kesselring that the evaluation won’t be done before May.
“It is a longer than I would have liked to see,” Pallenberg said. “I don’t know any way to avoid that.”
Assistant District Attorney Amy Paige said the date in June could present problems for Cook’s family members, who are looking to come up from their home in Oklahoma for the sentencing. Paige didn’t elaborate in court, but said June 11 might be a tough date to make work.
Strawn could face a sentence as severe as life in prison. Strawn represented himself in his trial this past October, sporting a clean-shaven look while wearing a suit and tie. Appearing in court this past Friday, Strawn was in his prison jumpsuit with long hair and a beard. Strawn spoke very little at Friday’s hearing, only stating that he would be available for a June 11 hearing.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
