PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Diego Tejeda-Manzo was brutally beaten before he was shot and killed, according to Multnomah County prosecutors.
Police have already arrested two people in connection to the assault and actual murder of Tejeda-Manzo.
Nicholas Hannan is charged with murder, third-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. Hannan’s half-brother, David Brown, is only charged with one count of third-degree assault.
When Brown was taken into custody, the Multnomah County DA’s Office went to a judge and asked that Brown’s bail be raised from $5,000 to $250,000.
At a hearing held on December 7, Multnomah County Senior Deputy District Attorney Amity Girt presented three photos to Judge Adrienne C. Nelson that depicted Tejeda-Manzo’s injuries. The photos were not entered into the public record.
KOIN 6 News recently obtained a copy of the official audio recording that was made during the hearing.
During the hearing, criminal defense attorney DeAnna Horne told the court that her client, Brown, has strong family ties to the metro area and that he has no prior criminal convictions and that he would be willing to obey by all of the court’s orders if released.
Horne says that her client’s family would be able to post the $5,000 bail but cannot post the $250,000 amount.
“We do believe that it will be more than possible that additional charges will be coming,” Girt says.
Tejeda-Manzo was found dead on Nov. 7 feet from the Portland State University campus.
According to Girt, Tejeda-Manzo was violently beaten.
“This was a retaliatory assault,” Girt says to the court. “Mr. Brown and his half-brother, Mr. Hannan, and two other unknown individuals sought this victim out and beat him severely in the middle of a courtyard where lots of onlookers could see what was happening.”
Girt describes the beating as “so severe there was blood visible coming from the victim.”
“These men were stomping the victim,” according to Girt.
Tejeda-Manzo immediately took a defense posture and was unable to fight back.
Tejeda-Manzo’s family attended the Dec. 7 hearing. While no one spoke, Girt told the court that they opposed Brown being released.
“They are aware that Mr. Brown participated in this unfair and very brutal beating of their son and their brother,” Girt says.
In advance of the release hearing, Close Street Supervision, the agency under the sheriff’s office that is responsible for supervising people on release pending trial, prepared a denial of release recommendation of Brown.
The report deemed Brown a threat to the community.
The report states that a phone and a gun were located in Tejeda-Manzo’s immediate vicinity on the ground.
Through the report, it was discovered that Hannan was shot during the fight. He was immediately taken to the hospital by Brown. The report, however, does not identify who shot Hannan, what type of gun was used or whether it was the same gun that was used to kill Tejeda-Manzo.
Brown reportedly told police that the gun that was used to shoot and kill Tejeda-Manzo was last seen in the center console of Brown’s black SUV.
The SUV was later found at a hospital in Tualatin after Brown carried his half-brother into the emergency room.
Police declined to comment on Monday on whether or not any additional suspects have been identified in the case.
Based on Girt’s statements to the court at Brown’s release hearing, “we do believe that it will be more than possible that additional charges will be coming.”
When reached by phone on Monday, Girt says she was unable to comment on any matter regarding the investigation.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Portland Police Detective Rico Beniga at 503-823-0457 or Rico.Beniga@portlandoregon.gov