A jury convicted a former employee in a Trapper Creek killing

A Palmer jury convicted Michael Melendez, 36, of first-degree murder Tuesday in the 2023 killing of Jose Torres Ayala, a 21-year-old server at the 20320 Alaskan Grill in Trapper Creek. The jury also returned two counts of second-degree murder.

First-degree murder carries 30 to 99 years in Alaska. Sentencing is set for Jan. 15, 2027, before Superior Court Judge John Cagle.

The Alaska Department of Law said evidence at trial showed Melendez, who had worked at the restaurant inside the McKinley Princess Lodge, came in through a back kitchen door on Aug. 7, 2023, took an eight-inch chef knife from a sink area and followed Torres Ayala into the dining room. Torres Ayala had sat down to eat breakfast. A witness in the dining room saw the stabbing. Melendez left through the front door and was held by other staff until troopers arrived.

Torres Ayala had at least ten stab wounds to his head, arm, clavicle and chest, and severe defensive injuries to his hands. Guests, lodge staff, EMS and LifeMed tried to save him. He died of his injuries.

The defense contested that account at trial, raising self-defense and mental health and asking jurors for a lesser charge than first-degree murder. The state's release does not name defense counsel, and this account rests on the prosecution's version; the defense's evidence is not in the record available here.

Torres Ayala's family may speak at sentencing. Alaska law lets crime victims be heard on request, and a victim impact statement is prepared as part of the pre-sentence report. The state Office of Victims' Rights provides free legal help to crime victims.