Arlington man sentenced for 2019 stabbing death of friend on a camping trip

Published 1:52 pm Wednesday, March 11, 2026

EVERETT — A Whatcom County Superior Court judge sentenced an Arlington man to more than one year in prison Wednesday in connection with the 2019 stabbing of his friend at a campsite near Baker Lake.

This marks the end of the third trial since prosecutors charged Alexander Vanags with second-degree murder in April 2019. Vanags appeared before a jury in 2025 and 2022, but both trials ended in deadlocks, according to reporting by The Bellingham Herald.

On Feb. 19, a jury acquitted Vanags of second-degree murder but found him guilty of first-degree manslaughter.

In the early morning of April 13, 2019, Vanags called 911 from River Rock Tobacco & Fuel, a few miles from his home in the Gleneagle neighborhood of Arlington. He told the dispatcher he’d stabbed Mark Stebakov, 28, of Arlington, to death two or three hours earlier, at a campsite 70 miles northeast of the gas station.

During the 911 call, Vanags reportedly said Stebakov bashed his head into the ground, so he grabbed whatever he could to defend himself.

Upon arrival, a Stillaguamish tribal police officer saw that Vanags had blood on him. He reportedly repeated the story, saying Stebakov “went crazy and attacked him and he begged him to stop,” according to the charges. Eventually, Vanags reported he got the upper hand.

Vanags told law enforcement he’d left a gun on his vehicle’s dashboard and a knife on the floorboard. Through the window, the officer observed a machete with a serrated blade and a .357-caliber Ruger revolver in plain view. Later on, police found Stebakov’s wallet in the vehicle, alongside phones belonging to both men.

Vanags was treated at Cascade Valley Hospital for minor abrasions to his face, arms and hands. Detectives reportedly couldn’t find any bumps or scrapes on the back of his head.

Law enforcement found Stebakov’s body covered by a blanket at the campsite. Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies counted at least 10 stab wounds.

Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that Stebakov bled to death. An autopsy revealed wounds to the front and back of the body, as well as the neck and head.

The two men were on psychedelic drugs while camping together, The Bellingham Herald reported. Prosecutors said Vanags intentionally caused his friend’s death, while Vanags’ attorneys argued he acted in self-defense.

At the sentencing Wednesday, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence Vanags to 102 months in custody, the maximum sentence for manslaughter in the first degree.

“Which is fairly insignificant given the fact that Mr. Mark Stebakov’s life was taken from him at 28 years old,” said the case’s lead attorney Benjamin Pratt.

The defense requested an exceptional sentence of 16 months, below the standard sentencing range, due to the “unusual circumstances of this case.”

“He has been very clear that this is not something he wanted to do, but he feared for his life,” Defense Attorney Jennifer Cannon-Unione said.

Before Judge Lee Grochmal announced the sentence, multiple family members spoke on Stebakov’s behalf about his sense of adventure and love for dogs.

In an address to the court, Vanags acknowledged the loss for Stebakov’s family and how this has “changed my life and my family’s lives forever.”

Before announcing the sentence, Grochmal said to the courtroom that both men were people their families could be proud of, but were two young men “who made mistakes.”

She adopted the defense’s recommendation and sentenced Vanags to 16 months in prison with 36 months of community custody.

After the judge’s decision, one attendee shouted, “It’s a miscarriage of justice” as they exited.

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com. X: @JennaMillikan