Anchorage, Alaska: Ryan Dummler Sentenced to 60 Years for Murder of John William Martin III

An Anchorage man who shot a sleeping man seven times behind a utility box in 2023 will spend 60 years in prison.

Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson sentenced Ryan Michael Dummler, 35, on November 6, 2026, the Alaska Department of Law announced. A jury convicted Dummler on November 18, 2025, of murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree for the murder of John William Martin III.

The 2023 shooting

On June 15, 2023, at about 5:00 a.m., Anchorage police responded to a 911 call for shots fired in the area of Jester Circle and King Street, and found Martin, 51, dead behind a large utility box on the grounds of the Global Credit Union at the corner of Dimond Boulevard and King Street.

Surveillance video from nearby businesses showed Dummler approach Martin at about 4:58 a.m. while Martin slept. Dummler pulled back Martin's bedding to wake him, yelled at him for a few seconds, and then fired eight rounds at him. Martin was hit seven times, including twice in the head, and died within minutes. The whole interaction took less than 45 seconds, the department said.

Traffic cameras then tracked Dummler to his job at Burger King, where he reported for work shortly after the shooting. When officers arrested him, they recovered a Glock 19X handgun from his backpack. The gun was matched to the shell casings found at the scene.

The sentence

Family members and friends of Martin gathered in the courtroom for the sentencing. Martin's mother told the court she forgave the defendant because her son was a very forgiving person.

Judge Peterson handed down the 60 year sentence the State had asked for. "There is nothing more serious than taking a life," he said. He said Dummler's unjustified and unexplained actions warranted a lengthier sentence, and he added, "There is no sentence that can bring Mr. Martin back."

Assistant Attorneys General Heather Nobrega and Daniel Shorey of the Office of Special Prosecutions tried the case before Judge Peterson. When the jury convicted Dummler in November 2025, the department said he faced a sentencing range of 30 to 99 years for the highest charge. The 60 year sentence closes the case more than three years after the shooting.

The Department of Law announced the sentence in a release dated November 6, 2026. The sentence was handed down in Anchorage Superior Court.