Press Release

Frankie Bates Sentenced for Criminally Negligent Homicide for Overdose Death

August 5, 2025

(Kodiak, AK) – Today, Kodiak Superior Court Judge Colleen Baxter sentenced 31-year-old Frankie Bates for Criminally Negligent Homicide related to the 2021 overdose death of Jacob Hillsinger, 44, in Kodiak.

Ms. Bates was originally indicted by a Kodiak Grand Jury for Manslaughter and Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree in September 2022.

In May 2025, Ms. Bates reached a plea agreement with the State and pleaded guilty to Criminally Negligent Homicide and Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree.

Per the agreement, Ms. Bates was sentenced by Judge Baxter to seven years of incarceration with three of those years suspended. Following release, she will be subject to felony probation supervision for a four-year term.

This case was investigated by the Kodiak Police Department. The Alaska State Troopers and Anchorage Police Department also assisted with the investigation. This case was prosecuted by Kodiak District Attorney William Vitkus.

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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.

Due to resource constraints, we no longer post links to referenced records. Records filed in a federal court are readily available at Docket Search or PACER, and records filed in a State of Alaska court are readily available from the Alaska Court System (Trial Courts - Alaska Court System and Search for an Appellate Case). Contact Sam Curtis to request a referenced record that is not readily available from a court or on the internet, or contact law.recordsrequest@alaska.gov to submit a formal Alaska Public Records Act request.