PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Four of the 20 homicides that occurred in Portland during 2016 remain unsolved. In 2015, 31 people died.
#1 – Isaiah Demetrius Kent was the first homicide victim for 2016. According to homicide detectives on February 25, 2016. Clifford Lee Moffett and Terry Lee Spencer Jr., both gang associates, approached the intersection of Northeast 6th and Alberta carrying semi-automatic pistols. There was a fight, and Kent, who was inside a vehicle, was shot once in the head. The trial for both men is scheduled to start in May.
#2 – The death of Gary Jay Baechler remains unsolved. He was found February 28, 2016, inside a residence in the 6900 block of Southeast 110th Avenue. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office reports that Baechler died of multiple gunshot wounds. A motive to the shooting has not been publicly released.
#3 – Yaritza Valdez-Almaguer was allegedly stabbed and killed by 50-year-old Jorge Luis Sosa-Soler on May 20, 2016, in the 6600 block of Northeast Glisan Street. Homicide detectives said Valdez-Almaguer and Sosa-Soler were in a domestic relationship and had recently moved to the United States from Cuba. The trial for Sosa-Soler is scheduled to start in July.
#4 – Shantina Turner was stabbed to death on June 15, 2016, at Skinn Gentleman’s Club, according to police. Her accused attacker, Rinita Linelle Lowe, was working as a dancer at a different strip club and saw Turner at Skinn. While inside the bar, Lowe reportedly attacked Turner and then fled to a nearby convenience store. She was detained by two police officers who just happened to be inside the store when she entered. The trial for Lowe is scheduled to start in February.
#5 – Six-month-old Mya Sly died on June 16, 2016. Her death was ruled a homicide by the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office. Dr. Larry Lewman told KOIN 6 News detectives have asked him not to release any details about the cause of death. The case remains unsolved and is being handled jointly by homicide detectives and the Multnomah County Child Abuse Team.
#6 – Thomas Lincoln Dorris was charged with the June 19, 2016, death of Chester Newborn. The shooting happened near the intersection of Northwest 4th and Davis during a drug transaction. A 52-year-old woman, Wendy Dannette Mustacci, was also shot during the incident. She suffered not life-threatening injuries. Dorris’ trial is scheduled to start in December.
#7 – On June 26, 2016, David Daniel McCrary, 59, broke into the residence of Tara-Alexis Ford. According to police, Ford found McCrary in her 10-year-old daughter’s bedroom, where the shooting occurred. Both Ford’s daughter and 5-year-old son were in the home but were in a different bedroom at the time of the shooting. A Multnomah County grand jury determined that Ford was justified in the use of deadly force.
#8 – In court documents, prosecutors allege that 37-year-old Spencer Thomas Johnson shot his girlfriend, Cory Lumber, in the face and killed her. Records show that the couple had only been in a relationship for about 3 months and that Lumber had moved in with Johnson about a month prior to the July 1, 2016, shooting. At the time of the murder, Johnson was on bench probation following an incident of domestic violence involving an ex-girlfriend. According to court documents, Lumber was telling people in the week before her death that she was unhappy in her relationship with Johnson. The trial is scheduled for September.
#9 – On July 14, 2016, Robert Chambers shot and killed 30-year-old Anthony James Lazarides when he and “multiple suspects” broke into Chambers’ residence in the 8300 block of Southeast 64th Avenue, authorities say. After the shooting, the other suspects fled. Very little information is available about the other suspects, and detectives are continuing to follow leads in the case. The case will be reviewed by a grand jury.
#10 – The August 4, 2016, death of 45-year-old Sou Chiew Saechao marked the city’s 10th homicide. The case remains unsolved. According to police, Saechao lived in the area of Northeast 101st and Northeast Prescott Street but frequently spent time with and slept on the streets. At last check, officials said “there is no suspect information in this case.”
#11 – The death of Luccas McNeill on August 7, 2016, remains unsolved. Police are trying to determine if McNeill’s death was a case of mistaken identity. Officers responded to the 2100 block of Northeast 81st Avenue after multiple reports of gunfire. McNeill, 28, worked as an overnight supervisor for a local security company. He was on patrol the night he was killed.
#12 – Taylor Lynn Kraig, 20, is charged with aggravated murder, murder, unlawful sexual penetration, criminal mistreatment and assault following the death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter. Kraig and his family have adamantly proclaimed his innocence. The death of Zackariah Luda Daugherty occurred August 15, 2016. Officials said homicide detectives were called to assist Child Abuse Team detectives at Portland Adventist Medical Center on an investigation where Daugherty was suffering from traumatic injuries. The trial is scheduled for June 2018.
#13 – Kelby Blaine Jake of Utah is accused of killing Martin Richard Ochoa. The two men were friends, according to court records. The stabbing of Ochoa occurred on September 3, 2016. His body was found near the intersection of Northeast 111th Drive and Fargo Street. The medical examiner determined Ochoa died of a single stab wound. The trial is scheduled to start in June.
#14 – On September 19, 2016, police responded to the area of North Willis Boulevard and Hereford Avenue on reports of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found the body of 18-year-old Marquis Stephion Taylor. Detectives initially took Richard Jay Anderson III into custody, but investigators said they later determined that he used deadly force after being robbed by Taylor and two other men: Mehamed Osman Ali and K’Shawn Davon Harris. Detectives later revealed that Anderson and Taylor were involved in a marijuana transaction when Taylor, Ali and Harris robbed Anderson at gunpoint. Anderson fired a shot in self-defense that killed Marquis Taylor. Anderson was released from custody after a grand jury determined his use of deadly force was legally justified.
#15 – On September 23, 2016, the body of Michael Scott Hoven was found inside a home in the 1700 block of Southeast 162nd Avenue. Police arrested 38-year-old Felauai Satele in Vancouver on October 20, 2016, after responding to reports of a car prowl. A trial date has not been set. Satele’s co-defendant, Jessica Lynne Hutchinson, was arraigned December 28, 2016.
#16 – Homicide detectives arrested 35-year-old Willie Lee Harris, Jr. after his new nephew, Reginald Harris, Jr., died after taking a lethal dose of methadone. The incident happened October 10, 2016. Police said they do not believe that Harris intentionally gave his nephew methadone; rather it was left in a place where the child had access to it. In a statement released at the time of Harris’ arrest, the police bureau stated: “This case is a tragic reminder to keep all prescription drugs in a safe place where children do not have access to them.” A trial date has not been set.
#17 – On October 22, 2016, authorities say Jimmy Morgan shot and killed his co-worker, Mitra Mehrabadi, inside an office at Liberty Mutual Insurance in the Liberty Centre in Northeast Portland. Detectives said Morgan and Mehrabadi were family friends and co-workers. The Oregon State Police Crime Lab later confirmed that a firearm found in Morgan’s car after his suicide was used to kill Mehrabadi. Detectives have not released any additional details about the homicide.
#18 – Antoinette Q. Garrett is charged with the murder of 36-year-old Jerry Wayne Robinson, Jr. Police arrested Garrett on November 2, 2016, after connecting her to her boyfriend’s death. The stabbing happened in the 5500 block of Northeast 60th. Garrett was arrested at the scene of the crime and reportedly called 911 about 30 minutes after the homicide, according to police. A trial date has not been set.
#19 – On November 20, 2016, police were called to the intersection of Southwest 3rd and Oak in response a stabbing. When they arrived, they found the body of Mark Whelen soaked in blood. Officers said Whelen had been stabbed multiple times. The victim was taken to a level one trauma center but died 6 days later. Detectives were able to identify the suspect in the attack as Charles Anthony Longjaw. He was arrested a day after the attack and charged with first-degree assault. After Whelen died, a grand jury charged him with murder. Prosecutors in Clark County, Washington have notified the courts in Multnomah County that they would like Whelen transported back to Vancouver because when he allegedly committed the murder of Whelen, Longjaw had violated the terms of his sentencing after being convicted of rape, robbery and assault. A trial date has not been set.
#20 – On December 6, 2016, PPB Officer Lawrence Keller, a 22-year-veteran of the bureau assigned to East Precinct night shift, shot and killed 52-year-old Steven Wayne Liffel at a residence at Southeast 148th Avenue and East Burnside Street. Officers were initially called out to investigate reports of a shooting and disturbance. As police were getting set up to order Keller out of the apartment, he fired off multiple rounds at police officers. Keller then exited his apartment armed with a rifle and was shot and killed. Multnomah County Chief Deputy District Attorney Donald Rees said the case will eventually be reviewed by a grand jury.
Anyone with information about an unsolved homicide, is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Oregon at 503.823.HELP (4357).
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