In a chilling case that spans two states and involves calculated deception, identity theft, and cold-blooded violence, 37-year-old Aaron Hague has been found guilty of manslaughter in the 2020 death of his Alaska roommate — a “no body” homicide that prosecutors say he tried to cover up by impersonating the victim through fake text messages to family members. The conviction, handed down by a Fairbanks jury on April 8, 2026, marks a significant step in a disturbing saga that allegedly continued with the murder of a second man in Oregon, whom Hague lured to his death in order to perfect his stolen identity and evade justice.

The story begins in mid-August 2020 in North Pole, Alaska, a small community just outside Fairbanks. Hague, then 31, shared a home with 61-year-old John McClelland, a probationer and parolee who worked as a painter and handyman. The two men also worked together at a property management company. According to prosecutors, their relationship soured, leading to a fatal confrontation. Hague later admitted on the witness stand that he caused McClelland’s death, but claimed it was in self-defense. The jury rejected that account and convicted him of manslaughter, second-degree theft, and tampering with physical evidence.

What made the case particularly disturbing was Hague’s elaborate attempt to conceal the crime. After McClelland vanished, Hague allegedly used the victim’s cellphone to send text messages to McClelland’s brother, pretending the older man was still alive but gravely ill in a hospital bed. The messages were designed to create the illusion that McClelland was “hospice-bound” and too weak to communicate directly. At the same time, Hague filed an unemployment insurance claim in McClelland’s name, further exploiting the stolen identity to generate money. Despite extensive searches, McClelland’s body has never been recovered, turning the case into a classic “no body” homicide prosecution.

Hague’s efforts to cover his tracks did not end there. In the fall of 2020, after the alleged killing, he began living under false identities. First, he assumed the name of his younger brother while staying at a temporary homeless shelter in Anchorage’s Sullivan Arena. It was there that he met 28-year-old Anthony Alcorn, an Ohio native who bore a passing resemblance to him. Prosecutors say Hague befriended Alcorn and later used his identification documents to travel.

In March 2021, Hague allegedly executed the next phase of his plan. He lured Alcorn from Anchorage to Gresham, Oregon — a Portland suburb — with the promise of a well-paying job. Once there, authorities say Hague beat Alcorn to death with blunt force trauma in a wooded area off the Springwater Corridor Trail. Alcorn’s body was discovered on March 15, 2021, without identification. Hague was arrested shortly afterward while living and working under Alcorn’s name. When taken into custody, he was found carrying Alcorn’s social security card, Alaska ID, debit card, as well as his own documents.

The Oregon case charges Hague with first-degree murder and identity theft. Prosecutors argue the killing was not random but a calculated move to solidify his stolen identity and avoid detection for the earlier disappearance of McClelland in Alaska. The pattern — killing to assume someone else’s life — has shocked investigators and the public alike.

During the Alaska trial, Hague took the stand and acknowledged causing McClelland’s death but insisted it was self-defense after their relationship became strained. The jury did not believe him, convicting him of the lesser charge of manslaughter rather than first-degree murder. He now faces sentencing in Alaska on August 11, 2026. Following that, he is expected to be returned to Oregon to stand trial on the murder and identity theft charges related to Alcorn.

The case has drawn significant attention due to its cold, methodical nature. Hague did not simply flee after the first alleged killing; he allegedly built an elaborate web of deception involving stolen phones, fake text messages to grieving family members, unemployment fraud, and ultimately another murder to protect his false identity. The fact that McClelland’s body has never been found added extra difficulty to the prosecution, yet the circumstantial evidence — including financial records, cellphone data, and Hague’s own admissions — proved sufficient for a conviction.

For the families of both victims, the verdict brings a measure of justice, though it cannot restore what was lost. McClelland’s relatives have long expressed their belief that he was murdered, while Alcorn’s loved ones continue to mourn a young man who was deceived with the promise of opportunity only to meet a violent end in the Oregon woods.

As the legal proceedings continue, the Aaron Hague case stands as a stark example of how identity theft can escalate into something far more sinister. What began as a roommate dispute in a quiet Alaska community allegedly spiraled into a cross-country trail of deception and death. Hague’s ability to move between identities, exploit trust, and cover his tracks has left investigators and the public grappling with the depths of premeditation involved.

With sentencing looming in Alaska and a full murder trial awaiting in Oregon, the full scope of Hague’s actions may soon come into even sharper focus. For now, the convictions in the “no body” case of John McClelland represent a hard-won victory for prosecutors who had to build their argument without a corpse, relying instead on digital footprints, financial trails, and the chilling logic of a man who allegedly killed not once, but twice, to reinvent himself and escape accountability.

The story serves as a grim reminder of the vulnerabilities that exist in transient communities, homeless shelters, and the digital age, where identities can be stolen as easily as lives — sometimes by the same hand.