PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon State Police say the February 2016 death of a 22-year-old inmate inside the Snake River Correctional Institution was murder.
Michael Teves was found dead in his cell around 4:30 a.m. Feb. 25, 2016, according to OSP. He was serving time for 2nd-degree assault.
His alleged killer, Michael Lay, is now charged with the aggravated murder. He remains in custody at SRCI and his arraignment isn’t scheduled until January 2017.
Officials KOIN 6 News Lay was initially one of the primary suspects in the case because of his close proximity to Teves while they were in custody.
Specific details of Teves’ death have not been released.
The investigation included 5 people who testified in person before a grand jury, and the medical examiner’s office filed a report.
Lay first entered the prison system in November 2008 after being convicted in Multnomah County of 1st-degree robbery, unlawful use of a weapon, 2nd-degree assault, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and assaulting a police officer.
More prison time was tacked on in both 2011 and 2012 after Lay was convicted of 2nd-degree burglary in Multnomah County and after being convicted of aggravated harassment while in custody in Marion County.
Records show Lay’s earliest release date is June 2046.
If convicted of aggravated murder, he could be sentenced to true life in prison, death, or life in prison without the possibility of parole until after at least 30 years.
On the other hand, records show Teves’ earliest release date would have been next Friday.