In a judicial turn that's all but common, a Multnomah County jury found James Donald Jackson guilty on all counts for crimes he committed back in June of 1994. The original case, which took place in 1995, did not render a unanimous decision due to the laws at the time. But that's history now, following a retrial spurred by the 2020 Supreme Court ruling in Ramos v. Louisiana, which mandated that juries in state criminal trials must be unanimously in agreement to convict.
The charges included Rape in the First Degree and Sex Abuse in the First Degree. Jackson's guilty verdict comes over 30 years after the incident involving victim Amy Countryman, who bravely faced her assailant again to testify. In what Deputy District Attorneys Jazmyn Ortiz and Chris Rothfus described as a testament to her strength, Countryman helped to "ensure that he cannot hurt anyone else," Rothfus told the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
Melissa Marrero, Senior Deputy District Attorney for Multnomah County, also weighed in, expressing gratitude to the jury for recognizing the gravity of the crime. "We are extremely thankful that the jury was clearly able to see the terror experienced by Ms. Countryman in 1994. She has shown extraordinary strength both when she was an 18 year old girl, and now more than 30 years later in holding her rapist accountable," Marrero stated, per the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
Countryman, having moved to Portland with hopes of starting a new life, found herself instead the victim of a grievous crime. She met Jackson in Pioneer Courthouse Square, who, after appearing nice at first, took her to a playground, threatened her with a gun, and raped her. Her journey through the legal system has been arduous, but after the verdict, she publicly thanked the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office, signaling her relief and gratitude for the support through a harrowing process. "Portland is a safer place thanks to them! Going through this trial is one of the hardest things I have ever done," Countryman said, as cited by the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
The consequences of this verdict are significant. Jackson, previously sentenced as a Dangerous Offender, could have been released by year's end had he been found not guilty. Instead, with this conviction, he's due for another Dangerous Offender hearing, potentially extending his time behind bars far beyond what might have been.
