Colleague Stabbed at Lodge | Anchorage News

A jury convicted 36-year-old dishwasher Michael Melendez of first and second-degree murder for stabbing 21-year-old server Jose Torres-Ayala ten times during a chaotic breakfast scene at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge — an attack prosecutors say was premeditated, despite the defense’s self-defense claims. Torres-Ayala, who was off-duty and unarmed, died despite emergency efforts by staff and guests. Melendez is now awaiting sentencing in January.

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This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.
Sources:
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2026/09/16/former-denali-lodge-employee-convicted-of-murder-in-2023-stabbing-death/

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