US Army soldier Adayus Robertson stands accused of executing a Fairbanks resident execution-style, despite being on house arrest for previous assault charges. The 24-year-old Private First Class allegedly shot Joseph Casas in the head before fleeing with evidence, leaving witnesses to describe a cold-blooded murder that has shocked the Alaska military community.
Soldier Charged with First-Degree Murder
Robertson, an active-duty soldier with the 11th Airborne Division at Fort Wainwright, allegedly murdered 37-year-old Joseph Casas just before 10 a.m. on a Friday. Casas was found with a gunshot wound to the head and later pronounced dead at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital after what medical professionals described as an execution-style killing.
Adayus Robertson, a 24-year-old U.S. Army soldier at Fort Wainwright in Alaska, is facing murder charges after Fairbanks police officers found a man in an apartment with an execution-style gunshot wound to the head. https://t.co/gQvn6dI4c3
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) April 15, 2025
GPS data placed Robertson at the apartment where the shooting occurred, with witnesses reporting they heard a gunshot while Robertson was present in the same room as the victim. A female witness told authorities that Robertson left her in the bathroom, and after hearing a loud bang, he urgently told her they needed to leave the premises immediately.
Evidence Recovery and Witness Accounts
Police recovered a .40 caliber Glock from a trash bin near the shooting scene, which investigators believe to be the murder weapon. After the incident, Robertson was later found at the Big Dipper Ice Arena with a handgun magazine, accompanied by two other individuals who provided statements to law enforcement.
Active duty US Army serviceman Adayus Deandre Robertson, 24, charged with "execution style" murder of fellow serviceman Joseph Casas, 37, near Fort Wainwright in Alaska.
Robertson was out on bail for TWO DIFFERENT ASSAULTS and already charged with violating release. pic.twitter.com/ym2wZ1EH8h
— National Conservative (@NatCon2022) April 16, 2025
According to the female witness, Robertson “picked things up off the table before we left,” before mumbling that the situation was “messed up.” One of the men with Robertson later told officers that Casas “didn’t deserve what happened to him,” before agreeing with authorities that the shooting appeared to be an execution.
Previous Legal Troubles and Current Charges
At the time of the shooting, Robertson was already on house arrest for previous charges, including assault and escape, raising serious questions about the supervision and monitoring of military personnel with legal troubles. The soldier now faces multiple serious charges, including first-degree murder, evidence tampering, and probation violation, with the court setting his bail at $2.5 million.
“It appeared that Casas had a back-to-front penetration gunshot wound,” an emergency room doctor told police, officers wrote in the complaint. “It appeared Casas had been executed.”
The Army has not yet released an official statement regarding Robertson’s military status or potential disciplinary actions following these serious criminal charges. This case highlights growing concerns about violent crime involving military personnel and the effectiveness of house arrest monitoring for individuals accused of violent offenses.