PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Ian Olson had cancer and was going into remission when he was shot to death and found in a Motel 6 in Portland in late December 2018, his family said. He was 18.
On Friday, the 15-year-old accused of killing him made his first court appearance in the juvenile court. Jeremiah Hannon faces robbery and murder charges.
In a separate case, Hannon is also accused of beating a man on a MAX train just days after allegedly killing Olson.
Hannon will be tried as an adult and is expected back in court on April 15.
His cousin, Teera Washington, told KOIN 6 News Hannon “doesn’t have the guidance that people need in order not to go to jail. … His mom’s incarcerated. His father has never really been there.”
Hannon’s friend, Alexis Hoy, said the trouble stemmed from “the people he’s hanging out with. … He’s just never had anybody.”
Not surprisingly, Olson’s lifelong friend, Jordan Rhode, had a different take.
“Honestly, f— Jeremiah. He’s a terrible kid and he needs to spend the rest of his life in prison.”
Rhode said he knew Olson since 1st grade. “We just became best friends.”
Olson didn’t complain about his cancer, and Rhode said he sat with him while he went through chemotherapy.
“He was just a strong person. I always felt like he was going to beat cancer, too. And that’s what happened.”
—
Editor’s Note: The previous spelling of the accused’s name provided by officials through court documents was Jerimiah Hannon. On March 1, the documents were modified to reflect the correct spelling of Jeremiah Hannon.