Arlington man sentenced to 16 months for 2019 Baker Lake campsite killing
An Arlington man convicted of manslaughter for the 2019 killing of his friend at Baker Lake was sentenced Wednesday in Whatcom County Superior Court to 16 months in prison with 36 months of community custody.
Alexander Vanags, 36, was charged with second-degree murder for the killing of his friend, 28-year-old Mark Stebakov, with a machete while the two were camping at Bear Lake near Mount Baker and using psychedelic drugs. Following his third trial in Whatcom County, jurors found him not guilty of murder but guilty of the lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter on Feb. 19.
The state asked for Vanags to be sentenced to the maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter — 102 months in prison, or 8.5 years.
Superior Court Judge Lee Grochmal agreed with the defense’s argument that Vanags only receive a 16-month sentence and added 36 months of community custody.
“This is a very difficult case for everyone involved, and it is a complex case,” Grochmal said.
She said the two men involved in the case were both people their families were proud of, that they were not evil or violent, but made mistakes, such as taking psychedelic drugs. She said neither of them would have wanted this for the other.
Grochmal also said she believes there was substantial evidence that Stebakov was the initial aggressor in the fight, although the state proved Vanags used more force than necessary to defend himself under the circumstances.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 11:17 AM.
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