Geoffrey Hammond presented himself as a well-connected moneyman with access to an Australian fortune in the bitcoin community.
However, according to trial testimony, on October 11, 2023, Hammond was working for the ride-sharing business Uber, waiting for a ride outside the Moxy Hotel on Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street, when his parking job irritated a passing driver.
According to Hammond, the two made offensive gestures, and video presented in court last week showed Ryan Martin, the other driver, pulling up to Hammond’s driver-side door after halting his vehicle at the junction with Alder Street.
Hammond admitted to detectives that he shot Martin once in the upper chest after grabbing a firearm from the lockbox beneath his seat.Camera footage reveals that the altercation lasted only a few seconds.
As his lungs filled with blood, the dying guy murmured, “I’m sorry, I had a bad day.” A wife and a sizable blended family were left behind by the 47-year-old Vancouver homeowner.
Sam Gomez, an Arizona arts foundation leader who was in town for a convention when he happened across the incident and began documenting it with his cellphone, was injured after Hammond, now 48, admitted to killing Martin in audio recordings produced in court.
In an opening statement last week, the would-be financier’s defense lawyer pointed out that Hammond told detectives he was aiming for Martin’s shoulder, supporting his claim of self-defense.
Hammond might receive a substantial sentence reduction if the Multnomah County jury accepts his version of events and finds that he did not intend to kill, which is the legal standard that distinguishes murder from manslaughter.
However, when he shot a gun, Hammond admitted to a detective that he knew it was a lethal weapon.
According to authorities, Hammond’s battle in civil court for the succession of an Australian family’s riches and the financier’s other obligations have nothing to do with the alleged road-rage shooting.
The defense planned to call a number of expert witnesses starting on Monday, but the state took Friday off. Later this week, a verdict is anticipated.
PORTLAND MAN BLAMES DRUG BINGE FOR FATAL SHOOTING
Attorneys claim that on July 9, 2023, Jonathan Morriss shot and murdered an acquaintance while recovering from a days-long drug binge that had brought him from Portland to a home on Cape Meares.
According to his defense lawyer in the Tillamook County Court Circuit, Morriss mistook fellow Portland resident Carlo Stefanello, 47, for a threat because he was drunk.
According to the lawyer, Alexander Hamalian, Morriss, 32, has lived primarily on the streets since being exposed to methamphetamine during pregnancy.
Morriss apologized to Stefanello’s parents, saying, “I think about your son every day.”
As part of a manslaughter plea agreement, he was given a 20-year sentence in state prison, with the possibility of release after the first ten years.
SOPHISTICATED BURGLAR GETS MORE THAN 8 YEARS
Gregory Whitson committed more than two years of property crimes in Multnomah County, ranging from straightforward smash-and-grabs to intricate burglaries, according to court documents.
The now 43-year-old broke into a parking lot on Southwest Alder Street that was shared by the Morgan office building and the Dossier Hotel in a well-known 2023 theft while wearing a balaclava. Whitson ransacked offices and broke into cars with an unidentified accomplice.
After being apprehended, Whitson posted $2,100 bond and resumed breaking into cars and apartment buildings.
When Whitson was arrested for the last time in February, police discovered a key fob duplicator on him. Eight years and four months in state prison is the term imposed on the registered sex offender.
IN OTHER NEWS
Despite the fact that talks are scheduled to begin late next week, Kevin Dahlgren, a critic of homelessness policy, wasn’t prepared to accept a plea bargain last Friday.The 54-year-old is charged with defrauding the city of Gresham, his previous job.
In a Multnomah County rape trial, 34-year-old Jacob McBain-Birdwell was found guilty on 65 charges. He will be held until sentence next month.
The accusations against Torrie Bulson-Bratton have now been dropped, despite the fact that a standoff with thirty-one Portland police officers created quite a stir in the Overlook area on October 27. A probable cause affidavit accused the 42-year-old of resisting arrest and pistol whipping a man who owed him money for drugs.
A Multnomah County jury found Jeffrey Vannett, 59, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, guilty of sexually abusing a minor and sentenced him to 12 years in state prison.
Nine years in prison have been imposed on the car prowler who shot a father who was attempting to protect his stepson’s vehicle.The 21-year-old Nathan Darren Isenberg was found guilty of attempted murder despite claiming self-defense.
Zachary Turnbull, 31, is accused of sexually abusing a minor, and his trial started Monday.
For The Oregonian/OregonLive, Zane Sparling reports on court proceedings and breaking news. You may contact him at [email protected], 503-319-7083, or pdxzane.
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