Police in Portland, Oregon, investigate the murder of 27-year-old Andrew Hathaway (KOIN).
An Oregon jury convicted a man of stabbing a friend 55 times and then stuffing his body in the trunk of the victim’s own car and lighting it on fire.
Robert Thomas Colon, aged 44, has been found responsible for the murder of Andrew Hathaway, aged 27, which occurred on September 5, 2018, in Portland. This information was released by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office in a recent statement. Before the trial started, Colon admitted to committing arson, abusing a corpse, and tampering with evidence. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday, with Colon facing a potential life sentence but eligible for parole after 25 years.
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According to prosecutors, Colon and Hathaway were at a residence with two other individuals and had been using drugs. At one point during the night, Colon and Hathaway engaged in a physical altercation, with Colon gaining the upper hand while Hathaway called for help. The fight was initially interrupted by the other two men, but then resumed, resulting in Colon viciously attacking Hathaway until his death, as described by prosecutors.
Afterward, Colon and one of the other men relocated Hathaway’s body to the trunk of his car. They later drove to an empty area where they set the vehicle on fire. Following the extinguishing of the fire by the fire department, the charred remains of the victim were found. Prosecutors noted that Hathaway’s body was severely burned, making 80% of the remains unidentifiable.
An autopsy determined he suffered 55 stab wounds and six slice wounds throughout his body. Authorities never publicly revealed a motive.
“This is some justice for the Hathaway family. They’ve been living with this for seven years. I’m glad we could finally bring them some closure. This was a lengthy, involved investigation with lots of misdirection from others in the beginning. But we saw it through and found the killer,” said Multnomah County Senior Deputy District Attorney Shawn Overstreet, who prosecuted the case.
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