Aaron Hague was found guilty of manslaughter in the presumed death of his roommate John McClelland in Alaska. Prosecutors say Hague faked text messages from McClelland claiming he was dying to solicit money from family before fleeing to Oregon, where he faces murder charges. The conviction came in a no-body homicide case last week.
Fairbanks prosecutors announced that 37-year-old Aaron Hague was convicted last week of manslaughter, theft, and tampering with evidence related to John McClelland's 2020 disappearance in North Pole, Alaska. The case relied on circumstantial evidence after McClelland's body was never found. Hague admitted during trial that he caused McClelland's death by shooting him but claimed self-defense, a defense jurors rejected. He faces up to 20 years for manslaughter and additional time on the other charges, with sentencing set for August 11. Hague is scheduled for trial later this year in Oregon on first-degree murder charges in the death of Anthony Alcorn. According to the Fairbanks District Attorney's Office, Hague used McClelland's phone to send alarming texts to his brother Dan in Michigan, pretending McClelland was hospitalized with a cardiopulmonary issue and needed over $8,000 for medical costs, rent, and a transmission. Dan McClelland grew suspicious, as the messages urged him to call Hague directly, and verified no hospital admissions. He requested a welfare check, sparking the investigation. Hague claimed he dropped McClelland at urgent care, but investigators found no record. After police questioning on August 25, 2020, Hague fled to Anchorage, where he told a cousin a 'murder happened.' There, he befriended Alcorn, stole his identity, lured him to Gresham, Oregon, and killed him to evade prosecution, prosecutors allege. Hague also used McClelland's debit card for nearly $3,000 in purchases and filed unemployment in his name.
