Jason Vukovich: The “Alaskan Avenger” Who Tracked Down And Beat Up Sex Offenders
Change.orgJason Vukovich was sexually and physically abused throughout his childhood.
Jason Vukovich is unique among real-life vigilantes, as his quest for justice began decades before he set out to find it. Born in Anchorage, Alaska, on June 25, 1975, to a single mother, Vukovich was soon adopted by his mother’s new husband, Larry Fulton. Though Fulton was a religious man in public, he secretly used his nightly “prayer sessions” to molest Vukovich.
Aside from the sexual abuse, Vukovich and his brother were regularly beaten with belts and pieces of wood. Even worse, Fulton got away with all of these heinous crimes — which made Vukovich furious. Running away traumatized at age 16, Vukovich spent years surviving on drugs and petty theft.
He returned to Alaska in 2008, with a lingering hunger to seek vengeance on pedophiles like Fulton coming to a head in 2016. It began with Vukovich flipping through the local sex offender registry. And it culminated with him attacking and robbing three men on the list.
Vukovich went after the three men in June 2016. He drove to the homes of Charles Albee, Andres Barbosa, and Wesley Demarest, targeting Albee first. After forcing himself inside the man’s home on the morning of June 24th, Vukovich slapped the 68-year-old and robbed him before leaving.
Department of Public SafetyCharles Albee (left) and Andres Barbosa (right) were both attacked by the Alaskan Avenger.
He approached Barbosa in a very similar way two days later. But this time, he knocked on the door at 4 a.m. He also brought a hammer with him (as well as two female accomplices) and punched Barbosa in the face before stealing his truck and making an escape. As for Demarest, he was ordered onto his knees — as Vukovich bashed his face with a hammer.
“I am avenging angel,” said Vukovich. “I’m going to mete out justice for the people you hurt.”
Shortly thereafter, police found Vukovich in a nearby car with all the incriminating evidence they needed, including the hammer, stolen goods, and a notebook with the men’s names in it. He was charged with 18 counts of assault, robbery, burglary, and theft, but he ultimately took a plea deal.
In 2018, Vukovich was sentenced to 28 years in prison, after which the judge stated that “vigilantism won’t be accepted in our society.”
Vukovich has since expressed regret for his actions and urged others in his position not to follow in his footsteps: “I began my life sentence many, many years ago, it was handed down to me by an ignorant, hateful, poor substitute for a father. I now face losing most of the rest of my life due to a decision to lash out at people like him. To all those who have suffered like I have, love yourself and those around you, this is truly the only way forward.”
