HILLSBORO, Ore.- On November 1, 2019, a Washington County jury found Tasi Autele, also known as Brian Mulivai Autele, guilty of third-degree assault. On November 13, 2019, Judge Ricardo Menchaca sentenced Mr. Autele to two years in prison. Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard prosecuted the case.

On August 26, 2017, the victim and defendant attended a gathering at a mutual friend’s house in a rural area of Hillsboro, Oregon. The gathering continued without incident into the early morning hours of the next day.

At some point during the gathering, the victim left the main group and ventured into a secluded field. Mr. Autele joined the victim in the field and began talking to the victim. Mr. Autele then asked the victim if he fights, to which the victim indicated he had wrestling experience from high school. Mr. Autele then came up from behind the victim, put him in a chokehold, and told the victim this was a fight, not a wrestling match.

The victim lost consciousnesses a short time later. While he was unconscious, Mr. Autele repeatedly struck the victim in the head and face, causing numerous fractures to his nose, orbital socket, and skull. The party hosts happened to come across the victim’s unconscious body and saw Mr. Autele standing over the victim. The victim was rushed to OHSU where he required extensive medical attention.

Mr. Autele fled the scene after the unprovoked attack but was captured by Washington County Sheriff’s deputies a short time later.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office including Detective Dawn Vandehey for her work on this case.

In addition to his prison sentence, the defendant was also ordered to pay more than $4,000 in restitution and a $3,000 compensatory fine to the victim for future medical expenses. He was also ordered to have no contact with his victim, ordered to undergo anger counseling and will be under post-prison supervision for two years upon his release.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On November 8, 2019, a Washington County jury found Christopher Leroy Ainsworth guilty of attempted first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of second-degree sex abuse, second-degree attempted sex abuse, third-degree sex abuse, unlawful delivery of a marijuana item and furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age. Deputy District Attorney Jason Weiner prosecuted Mr. Ainsworth in Judge Andrew Erwin’s courtroom.

On August 14, 2018, the then 36-year-old defendant arranged a meeting with the teenage victim at an apartment complex in Beaverton, Oregon. He provided the victim with alcohol and marijuana and attempted to kiss her. She refused his advances.

Some time later, the defendant again tried to kiss the victim. She again refused to kiss him and pulled away. This time he forced himself on her and pinned her to a couch. Mr. Ainsworth held her down momentarily as he sexually abused the victim. When she tried to get away, he squeezed her throat for a short period until she stopped resisting. The victim’s phone then rang, which startled the defendant. The victim said her mother was on her way home and he left immediately.

That night, the victim disclosed the abuse to several friends. One week later, police were dispatched to the same apartment complex on an unrelated call. The victim then asked to speak privately with one of the officers and disclosed the attack. Law enforcement immediately began investigating the allegations.

The victim was taken to a hospital where medical staff observed injuries consistent with her description of the assault. She was also interviewed by experts at CARES Northwest where she provided additional details of the attack.

Mr. Ainsworth initially denied all the allegations, but his accounting of the facts changed when he was confronted with digital evidence obtained by investigators.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the investigative work of Detective Cheryl Crecelius of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

A sentencing hearing is set for December 30, 2019.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On November 8, 2019, a Washington County jury found Martin Allen Johnson guilty of eight counts of first-degree murder in the 1998 rape and murder of 15-year-old Heather Fraser. The jury delivered a unanimous decision after less than three hours of deliberations. Chief Deputy District Attorney Bracken McKey and Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeff MacLean prosecuted Mr. Johnson in Judge Eric Butterfield’s courtroom.

Mr. Johnson was convicted of aggravated murder in 2001. In 2017, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld a decision made by the Oregon Court of Appeals to overturn the conviction, citing inadequate representation on behalf of Mr. Johnson’s defense team during the original trial.

Mr. Johnson was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder in this new case due to new guidelines established by Senate Bill 1013. Those guidelines also barred prosecutors from seeking the death penalty once again.

During the course of the two-week trial, Mr. McKey and Mr. MacLean proved to the jury that Mr. Martin drugged, raped and killed Ms. Fraser. The defendant then drove the victim to Astoria, Oregon where he threw her body off a bridge and into the Columbia River.

Mr. Martin was quickly identified as a suspect by authorities. He then fled the state and was apprehended in Florida more than a year later.

On November 14, 2019, Judge Butterfield sentenced Mr. Johnson to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On October 11, 2019, a Washington County jury found John William Miller III guilty of five counts of first-degree sex abuse. On January 10, 2020, Judge Oscar Garcia sentenced the defendant to 150 months in prison. Deputy District Attorney Chris Lewman prosecuted the case against Mr. Miller III.

The defendant was a previously convicted sex offender when he moved in with the victim and her mother in 2012. The abuse began a few years later and spanned at least three years.

The abuse came to light when the victim was admitted to a hospital while suffering from suicidal thoughts. At this point, the victim disclosed details of the abuse to hospital staff. She was eventually interviewed by experts at CARES Northwest where she provided a more detailed account of the abuse.

During the course of the trial, additional details of the defendant’s misconduct were disclosed. The jury heard evidence that the defendant admitted to his sex offender treatment provider that he had been pulling down the victim’s pants in what he described as a game, and that he looked at “nudist minors” online.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of Detective Aaron Massey of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, as well as that of staff at the Oregon Department of Human Services and CARES Northwest.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On October 11, 2019, Judge Eric Butterfield sentenced Hans Robert Eaton to 82 months in prison after he was convicted of two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of felony hit and run, one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, and one count of reckless driving. Deputy District Attorney William Stabler prosecuted the case against Mr. Eaton.

On February 18, 2019, Mr. Eaton was spotted driving erratically down Boones Ferry Road in Tualatin. Witnesses observed his vehicle weaving in and out of his lane of travel before he quickly accelerated, entered the oncoming lane and crashed head-on into a second vehicle.

After the crash, witnesses observed Mr. Eaton exit his vehicle. He then staggered around the scene and repeatedly asked others what happened. Mr. Eaton then left the scene, despite being told to remain, and entered a nearby business complex. He then climbed approximately 20 feet up a tree in an apparent effort to elude police. Police eventually located him, and he was taken into custody.

Responding officers with the Tualatin Police Department observed numerous signs of intoxication, consistent with opioid use when they interacted with Mr. Eaton at the scene. The investigation ultimately revealed Mr. Eaton had methamphetamine, morphine, hydrocodone, and marijuana in his system.

The two victims in this case were severely injured in the crash, including multiple broken bones and a brain injury.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of Tualatin Police as well as that of the Washington County Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team (CART). This office would also like to commend the witnesses who assisted with the investigation.

In addition to his prison sentence, Mr. Eaton was ordered to pay more than $6,000 in restitution. Mr. Eaton has been transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On October 7, 2019, Brett Joseph McQuiston pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and first-degree aggravated theft and was sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Janelle Wipper. Deputy District Attorney Katherine Glasson prosecuted the case against Mr. McQuiston.

Beaverton Police began an investigation after a series of burglaries targeting BottleDrop locations across Washington County. The first burglary took place in April of 2019. In this instance, Mr. McQuiston wore a mask and used a crowbar to commit the theft from a BottleDrop location in Beaverton. This act was captured by video surveillance cameras.

In June of 2019, Mr. McQuiston targeted a BottleDrop location in Tigard, again using a crowbar and mask to commit the burglary. This burglary was also captured on camera.

In September of 2019, Mr. McQuiston attempted to burglarize the Beaverton BottleDrop location for a second time using similar methods. This time Beaverton Police spotted him in the act, and he was apprehended after a short foot pursuit.

When questioned by detectives, Mr. McQuiston admitted to all the burglaries and said he committed the acts to fuel a gambling addiction. He also told investigators that he committed similar burglaries at BottleDrop locations in other Oregon counties. Additional charges could be brought as a result of those investigations. Video and enhanced surveillance captured detailed evidence of all his burglaries. Mr. McQuiston told investigators that he used a portion of the stolen funds to purchase a new vehicle. That vehicle was found at the scene of the Beaverton location and seized as evidence.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the investigative work of Beaverton Police Detective Patrick Antoine. This office would also like to commend the corporate investigator with the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative for his assistance on this case.

Mr. McQuiston has been transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.