A Portland man accused of stabbing a man to death in Clackamas in June has been indicted, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.
Eliazar Martinez-Rodriguez, 33, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jefferson Smith Cates, 30, at the Crown Court Apartments on Southeast 97th Avenue on June 22, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators believe the two men knew each other.
Sheriff’s office deputies responded to an assault call the day of the killing around 12:49 a.m. at the apartment building. Multiple people reported hearing someone call for help, and one person said a man was injured, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies arrived to find a person giving first aid to Cates. They took over and tried to save Cates, but the Portland man died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
The medical examiner’s office ruled Cates’ death a homicide.
Martinez-Rodriguez was taken into custody soon after the homicide, on a separate warrant involving a federal parole violation, the sheriff’s office reported.
In 2008, Martinez-Rodriguez was indicted on charges including assault and coercion, according to Clackamas County court documents. The indictment alleges Martinez-Rodriguez caused “serious physical injury” to two people. He was later convicted on one charge of attempted assault.
Five years later, Martinez-Rodriguez was convicted of harassment, according to court documents.
Martinez-Rodriguez remains in federal custody, the sheriff’s office reported. He has not yet been arraigned.
— Sujena Soumyanath is a reporter on The Oregonian/OregonLive’s public safety team. You can reach her at 503-221-4309 or ssoumyanath@oregonian.com .
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