PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN 6) – A jury has once again convicted a 42-year-old man of two counts of aggravated murder.
Damon James Naudain was on trial again after the Oregon Court of Appeal in December 2012 overturned two guilty counts of aggravated murder. It was sent back to Multnomah County after a judge reportedly made an error during the original jury instructions.
In January 1998, Naudain, and a group of people, drove to a home in Southeast Portland. Records show some of the men were intoxicated on meth. They were intending to rob people of what they believed would be a “significant amount of drugs and cash,” court documents state.
Inside the home, Jerry Hartman was shot and killed. An autopsy report shows he died of a single gunshot wound to the head. His then girlfriend, Julie Adams, and their baby son were home at the time.
Naudain and the other suspects were pretending to be law enforcement agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, court records show. Some of the suspects had security badges and “DEA” labeled hats. Naudain was the only person not covering his face with a bandana, court documents state. The men entered the home around 10:35 p.m. January 23, 1998 and yelled “police,” court documents state.
During a police interview, Naudain confessed that he was the shooter.
Naudain will be sentenced Monday. The judge will decide if he gets true life in prison or a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years.