PORTLAND, OR – A Multnomah County jury swiftly delivered a guilty verdict for a Portland man charged with the second-degree murder of Ash Smith, a 31-year-old mother of five, who was tragically killed during a community drum circle event last spring. Wyatt Storm Belcher, 28, will face life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after … Read more
HILLSBORO, OR – A woman from Washington County, Oregon, will serve time in prison for causing the tragic death of an infant at an unlicensed in-home daycare. Teresa Biswanath received a two-year sentence on charges of criminally negligent homicide after her care methods resulted in the suffocation of an 11-month-old baby boy. The Washington County … Read more
GRESHAM, OR – An Oregon man who launched a brutal assault on the mother of his children and threatened the lives of her and their children has pleaded guilty and is pending sentencing. The incident, which occurred in 2021, has spotlighted the harrowing impact of domestic violence. Manuel Jesus Huchin-Interian entered a guilty plea on … Read more
PORTLAND, OR – An Oregon man, Jessie Garza III, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 32 years for a violent standoff with police following the fatal shooting of 58-year-old Richard Newman. Following the December 2023 incident, Garza professed his determination to avoid jail, reportedly telling a friend he would … Read more
PORTLAND, OR – In a harrowing case of child mistreatment, an Oregon woman has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison following her conviction for failing to adequately care for her boyfriend’s son. Jamie Strahm was found guilty of two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment earlier this month, as stated by the Multnomah County … Read more
OREGON CITY, OR – A solemn courtroom settled on Wednesday as Jamon Peter Fritsch, 48, was handed a life sentence for the gruesome murder of his roommate, Kara Taylor, 49, whose dismembered body parts were scattered across multiple landfills earlier this year. Judge Michael C. Wetzel issued the sentence following Fritsch’s guilty plea to charges … Read more
PORTLAND, OR – A Portland man has been found guilty of the brutal murder of his friend, culminating in a dramatic court ruling that closes a haunting chapter for the victim’s family. Robert Thomas Colon, 44, was convicted of murdering Andrew Hathaway, 27, after a violent confrontation escalated at a Portland residence on September 5, … Read more
Salem, Ore. – An appeals court in Oregon cleared the way this week for the enforcement of a voter-backed gun control measure aimed at tightening regulations on the ownership and use of firearms within the state. Measure 114, which received voter approval last November, faced legal challenges that delayed its implementation, sparking a significant debate … Read more
WILSONVILLE, Ore. — Authorities have taken Steven Michael Hir, 41, into custody after he allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend with a hammer during a break-in at her apartment in Wilsonville, police reported. The incident occurred late on the evening of Feb. 28, when Wilsonville Police, along with Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies, were dispatched to a report … Read more
PORTLAND, OR – An Oregon man received a prison sentence Friday for his role in a violent road rage incident that ended with a hatchet attack outside a victim’s home in August 2023. Joseph K. Chastain, 33, was sentenced to 42 months in state prison after admitting to first-degree attempted assault charges related to the … Read more