Jason Vukovich was sentenced to 23 years in prison for assaulting three men who were registered sex offenders.
A man who attacked three registered sex offenders in Alaska and called himself an “avenging angel seeking justice” was sentenced Monday to 23 years in prison for assault and robbery charges.
Jason Vukovich, 43, pleaded guilty to one assault and one robbery charge, and is eligible to apply for parole once he’s served almost six years of his sentence, according to KTVA-TV.
Vukovich said in court he was physically and sexually abused by his stepfather while growing up, which fueled his anger towards sex offenders. But he said he now takes "full responsibility for his actions."
Prosecutors said the 43-year-old assaulted three men he found on the state’s online sex offender registry in June 2016 during a five-day period, according to the Anchorage Daily News. One of the victims was struck with a hammer, knocking him unconscious, while the others had items such as a laptop and truck stolen from them.
At his sentencing on Monday, Superior Court Judge Erin Marston told Vukovich that "vigilantism is not something that we accept in America."
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The men Vukovich attacked were complying with the law and had put their names on Alaska's public sex offender registry, Marston said in court.
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"It was not the purpose of the registry to allow people to do their own brand of justice," Marston said in court. "The purpose of the registry was to keep the community safe."
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Vukovich and his older brother, Joel Fulton, ran away from home when they were teenagers. His brother testified at sentencing to the trauma they endured for years, according to KTVA-TV.
“We’d roll over on the bunk beds and be up against the wall. I can’t look at you man, I’m sorry,” he said to Vukovich. “It was my job to go first so he would leave Jason alone.”
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Vukovich also said he struggled with an addiction to methamphetamine and was in and out of jail, but told the judge during his sentencing that vigilantism shouldn’t be a solution for justice.
“Kids should be able to be safe in the streets and at church in Alaska,” Vukovich said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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