Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt today announced that a Multnomah County jury delivered a guilty verdict for Brett Edward Pruett, 61, for the 2020 murder of three people in northeast Portland.
The trial took place in front of Judge Michael Greenlick from September 11 to October 6, with Senior Deputy District Attorney Kevin Demer, Senior Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, and Deputy District Attorney Keegan Matosich as prosecutors. The 12-person jury delivered the verdict today, finding Pruett guilty of:
- Eleven counts of Murder in the First Degree
- Four counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon
- One count of Burglary in the First Degree
- One count of Assault in the Second Degree
On July 17, 2020, Portland Police located three deceased victims in the 2500 block of Northeast 122nd Avenue in Portland. An investigation revealed that Pruett intentionally killed Elmer Edwin Hughes III and Tashia Heather Cobb outside, and that he then killed Lawrence Wayne Murphy inside the residence. Portland Police located and arrested Pruett on July 18, 2020.
In addition, on July 14, 2020, Pruett used a dangerous weapon to knowingly cause physical injury to an adult female prior to the triple homicide.
Pruett is currently in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Greenlick on January 8, 2024.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office thanks the Portland Police Bureau for their assistance with this case.
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