Two 18-year-olds are now at the center of a months-long homicide probe in Southeast Portland, after their arrests Monday on an indictment tied to a shooting last fall that left a 56-year-old man gravely wounded and later dead. Police took Zyaire Neugene Carter and Jayden Sarinara into custody on the new charges, and both are expected to appear in Multnomah County court on Monday afternoon.
Indictment and arrests
According to KATU, Carter and Sarinara were indicted on a 23-count charging document that includes first-degree murder with a firearm, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and burglary. The station reports both teens were arrested on that indictment and booked into custody. Two additional people are also named in the charging papers, KATU notes, but they have not been arrested.
Victim and scene
Portland police say officers were called around 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 1 to the 9300 block of Southeast Ramona Street, where they found 56-year-old Kevin Cooper suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He survived for weeks but ultimately died on Dec. 12 from complications related to those injuries, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The Medical Examiner ruled Cooper’s death a homicide, and the bureau’s Homicide Unit took over the case, which is being tracked under case number 25-299606. The killing was previously covered in Hoodline’s earlier report, Portland Resident Succumbs.
Prior incidents tied to suspects
Court records reviewed by KATU indicate the indictment is linked to a string of alleged crimes predating the November shooting. The outlet reports that Sarinara is accused of involvement in an Oct. 31 robbery at a liquor store at 5120 SE Powell Boulevard, where 73-year-old owner Anna Hyde was allegedly dragged through the parking lot while trying to retrieve stolen items. KATU also reports that Carter had already been arrested in November on unrelated attempted-murder charges tied to an Oct. 26 shootout at the Space Age gas station at 8410 SE Foster Road, and that Sarinara was booked into jail in early January in a separate robbery case.
Legal implications
Under Oregon law, a conviction for murder in the first degree generally carries a mandatory life sentence, and the court may impose life without the possibility of parole if the defendant was at least 18 at the time of the crime, according to ORS 163.107. In practical terms, that means a first-degree murder conviction in Oregon can lead to decades behind bars or life in prison.
What’s next
Carter and Sarinara are listed for a Monday afternoon court appearance, where they are expected to be arraigned and prosecutors will outline the next steps in the case. Multnomah County prosecutors and defense attorneys did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.
