Mondragon-Lopez sentenced for death of Homer woman

Published 9:30 pm Thursday, July 10, 2025

Arturo Mondragon-Lopez, Jr. will spend 15 years in prison and serve 10 years’ probation for the fatal shooting of Homer resident Brianna Hetrick, 22, which occurred in October 2023.

The sentence, handed down by Superior Court Judge Bride Seifert in the Homer Courthouse on June 30, follows a plea deal that Mondragon-Lopez accepted on Feb. 5, wherein he pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The other two charges for which he was originally arraigned — Murder 2, Extreme Indifference, and Criminally Negligent Homicide — were dismissed.

Per the requirements of the deal, he also admitted to several aggravators that applied to the case as outlined in Alaska Statute 12.55.155(c), including the employment of a dangerous instrument in furtherance of the offense; having a prior history of assault; that the conduct constituting the offense was among “the most serious” conduct included in the definition of the offense; that he committed a crime of domestic violence; and that he has been previously convicted of similar conduct in 2005 and 2017.

Mondragon-Lopez was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with five years suspended, and will be placed on probation for 10 years after incarceration. Following the June 30 hearing, he was sent to Wildwood Correctional Complex in Kenai to serve out his sentence. Per conditions of the sentence handed down, Mondragon-Lopez is not to have any contact, direct or indirect, with Hetrick’s parents or siblings.