Jacob Fitzgerald, a 24-year-old man, pled guilty to a series of violent crimes, including manslaughter and attempted murder, in a Multnomah County court earlier today. Multnomah County Judge Heidi Moawad accepted the plea, handing down a weighty 34-year prison sentence to Fitzgerald who was entangled in criminal cases stemming from both Multnomah and Washington Counties. Detailed in an announcement on the Multnomah County District Attorney's website, Fitzgerald's guilty admittance comes as a resolve to three separate cases in Multnomah County and one in Washington County.
Specifically, Fitzgerald was convicted of first-degree manslaughter for the shooting death of Otis Abner on August 6, 2022. Court documents unveil that Fitzgerald and his girlfriend at the time, along with Abner, were arguing in a car near Delta Park when Fitzgerald instructed Abner to get out. According to a witness, Fitzgerald shot at Abner multiple times from across the street after having driven a short distance away, ultimately hitting and killing him before then proceeding to burn the vehicle later that day. The police were only to quickly respond to the scene after two civilian witnesses discovered Abner's body and called 911.
A harrowing 18 months later, Fitzgerald again unleashed violence, this time targeting the lone witness to the initial shooting—his ex-girlfriend. He fired shots into the trailer where she was residing with her new partner, gravely injuring her in the process. Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Andrew MacMillan, who prosecuted the case, called Fitzgerald "a dangerous man who left a trail of destruction over the last few years." "This is an unusually high sentence for a plea agreement but is just given the circumstances," MacMillan said, as noted on the Multnomah County District Attorney's site.
The investigation, spearheaded by Portland Police Detective William Winters, and the combined efforts of the prosecutors across two counties, culminated in Fitzgerald's guilty plea. The District Attorney's Office has made it a point to also publicly acknowledge the importance of Victim Advocate Nang Dunn's role; her compassion and kindness were instrumental in supporting the victims throughout this ordeal. In addition to MacMillan, the DA's office shows gratitude to Washington County Deputy District Attorney Bryce Bissinger and Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Devin Franklin for their invaluable assistance in prosecuting these serious crimes.
