Delta Junction man gets 131 years in prison for killing best friend
Published Wednesday, May 7, 2008
A 65-year-old Delta Junction man received life in prison for shooting to death his best friend and wounding his best friend’s mother in a misguided effort to avoid going back to jail.
Superior Court Judge Douglas L. Blankenship on Tuesday sentenced John C. Davis to 131 years in prison for killing 34-year-old Flint Wolff and wounding 70-year-old Margaret Wolff, both of North Pole, according to court documents.
Davis won’t be eligible for parole until he is 106.
Flint Wolff, a gold miner and school bus driver, was Davis’ third-party custodian while Davis awaited trial on accusations of possession of child pornography.
Margaret Wolff said that her son thought his friend was innocent when he agreed to be his custodian. Flint had had a change of heart shortly before being shot, his mother said.
“I don’t think Flint planned to have him in his custody any more,” said Margaret Wolff, who has made a full recovery after Davis shot her in the arm.
In January, 11 months after killing Wolff, Davis was convicted of murder and attempted murder after accepting a plea deal in which six other felonies were dismissed.
Davis was also shot once in the chest when a witness returned gunfire, according to Alaska State Troopers. The gunfight happened in the Wolff household on the morning of Feb. 25, 2007.
Davis’ attorney said in court that his client cannot remember the confrontation and is undergoing psychiatric treatment, court documents said.
Davis told the judge that Wolff was his best friend, the greatest guy he ever knew and that he misses him, documents said.
Flint spent summers at his family’s gold mine in Boundary and winters in North Pole driving a school bus, his mother said. He dreamed of someday raising a family.
A DVD featuring pictures of Flint, set to music, was played in court. About a dozen people wrote letters expressing their grief over losing Flint, who was the oldest of Margaret’s three children. He was preceded in death by his father.
“The judge, before he gave the sentence, said that from all he read, he could tell that Flint was not only a huge loss to his family and to his friends but that the kind of person Flint was, it made him a loss to the whole community,” Margaret Wolff said. “There were no bounds to his loyalty and he was just always fun, always wanting to tease and make people laugh.”
The Wolff family is struggling to hold onto its gold mine since Flint’s death, Margaret Wolff said.
Community Discussion
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Flint was the kind of guy who always had a smile. I could easily see him trying to find the good in any one, even those that obviously didnt deserve it. Its too bad that our state doesnt have the death penalty, this guy didnt go for the insanity defense (or it didnt work) and that only leaves a scum bag. Have child pornography (can anyone say 'eeewww') and then shoot the only guy that stood up for your sorry butt, yep, thats a good place for that scum bag.
Met Flint,Margret.His father at Boundry in early 90 or 91 He was truly the niciest gentleman That I got to share tea with.
Yeah, I knew Flint, dad Bob, and the crew back in the very early 80's.
Flint and the kids were little kids.
Used to see them back in the good-ol'-days at Action Jackson's.
Most of us were miners then. 'til ANILCA, the feds, and psuedo-environmentalists shut it all down.
With the state's acquiescence.
Don't like to think about it.
The Wolff's were/are a fine family.
Hope they can hang on to the mine. At least they're on state ground. But it's not for weenies. We were on so-called fed ground.
It's so sad. What a waste.
Flint was a great man! no one could say anything bad about him. He put his heart into all that he did and loved that mine, I pray you can keep it! Let us know how we can help!
Good ol' Action Jackson! What a guy, truely an Alaskan legend! You all just made a smile come to my face thinking about this mess, glad to see that there are still some that try to find the good! Corrine - I am sure that we have met after reading your comments!
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