August 13, 2024
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that yesterday a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge sentenced Isaac Woodward, 45, to a total of 22 years for the beating death of Traves Barisich, as well as the attempted assault and attempted murder of two other victims.
Incident 1
Just before 4:30 am on September 28, 2023, PPB was called after a clerk at Plaid Pantry on 26th and SE Division observed a suspect dragging something resembling a body across the street, attempting to dispose of it in a dumpster, then finally leaving what was definitively a body on the ground nearby. Law enforcement responded and quickly located victim Traves Barisich lying on the ground in front of the dumpsters with significant head trauma. After attempts at life-saving measures by first responders, he was determined to be deceased at the scene.
On the same night an hour earlier, another individual reported being assaulted at the New Seasons Market located at 1954 SE Division St. An investigation into this incident ultimately linked both the attack on the living victim and the assault that led to the death of Mr. Barisich to Isaac Woodward.
Incident 2
The next day, in the early morning hours of September 29, 2023, PPB dispatched officers to a reported stabbing in the area of the Dolph Court Apartments located at 2920 SW Dolph Ct. in Portland Oregon. Upon speaking to the injured victim at OHSU, where she was taken for treatment, law enforcement learned that the victim had been assaulted by a man in the laundry room of the apartment complex as she was doing her laundry. The man stabbed the victim repeatedly on and around the neck and head until the attack was interrupted by another individual entering the laundry room, which allowed the victim time to escape and flag down a passing motorist who called 911. The 911 caller had observed the suspect exit the laundry room and knew him to be Isaac Woodward.
Law enforcement located Woodward in the area of the 9100 block of SW Barbur Blvd and took him into custody without incident. Officers found two knives on Woodward’s person and could observe fresh scratch marks on the inside of his wrists. He later admitted to attacking the victim inside the laundry room with a knife and provided specific corroborating details to police.
Plea and Sentencing
Deputy District Attorney Sean Hughey handled prosecution for the state. At a settlement conference on July 17, 2024, Woodward pled guilty to Manslaughter I in the death of Traves Barisich and no-contest to Attempted Assault II in one case (23CR48549), and also pled guilty to Attempted Murder II in a second case (23CR47747). On August 12, 2024, Judge Marshall sentenced Woodward to a combined total of 22 years.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the loss felt by the family and friends of Mr. Barisich, and thank all who contributed to the collaborative resolution of these cases, including PPB Detective Calvin Goldring, Investigator Anthony Merrill, and victim advocate Rebecca Leediker.