PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Jeremy Christian was back in court Monday, just weeks before his trial is set to begin.
Christian is accused of killing two men and hurting another after yelling anti-Muslim slurs at a woman with a hijab on the MAX train in 2017. Christian was charged with two counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted aggravated murder stemming from the stabbing on May 26, 2017, that left Taliesin Namkai-Meche and Ricky Best dead and a third train passenger, Micah Fletcher, badly wounded.
In one of the motions presented in court Monday, the state wanted the court to allow the jury to see the Max train where the crime happened—Max car 415. The defense said the jury shouldn’t have to because pictures and video are enough.
“Having jurors on the train car does invite reactions and emotions, which we all know should not have any place in a jury evaluation,” said Defense Attorney Greg Scholl.
“The purpose of the jury view is to enable the jury to more easily and accurately understand the testimony in court,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Don Rees.
Sixteen hours before the May 2017 incident, someone recorded Christian making statements on another Max car. In the second motion filed in court, the state wants to use the statements he made as evidence to show he had motive. However, the defense said his comments did not single anyone out, and there was no indication of a motive or intent.
The judge is expected to make a ruling on these two motions on Jan. 6. The trial is expected to begin on Jan. 28.
Christian last appeared in court on Nov. 1 as charges against him were amended to first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder.
Legal changes
Earlier that week, prosecutors filed a motion to take the death penalty off the table for Christian. He was initially charged with two counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted aggravated murder in the attack.
Lawmakers recently changed the definition and requirements for aggravated murder charges. Someone would have to kill two or more people as an act of organized terrorism to be convicted.
Earlier in the Nov. 1 hearing, before Christian was brought into court the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office argued he is a threat to safety in the courtroom based on prior courtroom behavior over the course of the past two years.
In April 2019, Christian had to be restrained by deputies when he shouted and pushed back from the defense table during an earlier hearing.
Judge Cheryl Albrecht ordered him to be in belly chains and leg restraints during the course of Friday’s hearing.
The anniversary of the attack
KOIN 6 News spoke with Namkai-Meche’s mother, Asha Deliverance, earlier in the year on the second anniversary of the attack. She said then that “there needs to be a voice for love.”
Deliverance said she doesn’t believe in the death penalty and would instead like to see the courts take a restorative justice approach to Christian’s sentencing.
“When somebody has an illness and they are so distorted in their thinking, that is an illness. For me, it is how to bring healing, not punishment,” she said. “If Jeremy Christian as a young child had been offered all of these options, we would not have had this problem,” she said.
Deliverance said her daughters have different opinions.
“I feel sadness for Jeremy Christian and I feel compassion. They probably feel more anxiety,” she said. “He was a big part of their life. They have different sentiments. I don’t know that any of us believe in corporal punishment but I believe that they do believe in punishment.”
Case background
The city of Portland stated they want Jeremy Christian to pay — literally — if the city is found liable for the fatal stabbings.
In court documents filed in August, the city argued Christian is solely to blame for the attack and should be held financially responsible in a lawsuit filed by the estate of one of the victims.
Jeremy Christian’s trial was delayed until early 2020 after the judge in the case granted the motion from his defense attorneys back in May.
KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.