Sircharles Jones was 22 years old, working a security shift outside the Residence Inn by Marriott in Portland's South Waterfront district, when he was shot and killed in the early morning hours of May 6, 2022. More than four years later, his death remains unsolved, even though prosecutors once charged a suspect in connection with the killing.
Jones was on break during his patrol when he was shot, according to details highlighted by the true-crime podcast Murder in the Rain. The case resurfaced this week when podcast co-hosts Alisha Holland and Josh McCullough joined a discussion on KOIN.com's True Crime Tuesday segment, revisiting the case and underscoring how it remains an open mystery for investigators and the victim's family alike.
In 2024, Multnomah County prosecutors charged a suspect with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon in connection with Jones's death. That case, previously covered by Hoodline's report on the arraignment, saw the suspect plead not guilty to the charges. Prosecutors later dismissed the murder charge, and the case has since seen charges dropped against the man once suspected as the killer, returning the investigation to square one.
A Mother's Public Plea for Answers
In an April 2023 interview featured on Murder in the Rain, Jones's mother, Jasmine Graham, publicly shared details about her son's life and issued a public appeal for witnesses to come forward. Her appeal remains one of the clearest examples of how family advocacy has helped keep attention on the case even as the criminal proceedings stalled and collapsed.
Portland's Deadliest Year Complicated the Investigation
Jones was killed during what became Portland's deadliest year on record. The city logged 101 homicides in 2022, surpassing the previous record of 92 set in 2021 and far outpacing the historic peak of 70 homicides set back in 1987, according to data reported by The Oregonian. That surge in violence strained the resources available to detectives working every case, including Jones's.
Even with that caseload, the Portland Police Bureau's homicide clearance rate actually rose to 53% in 2022, up from 48% the year before, per data reported by KGW. Still, that meant nearly half of the city's homicides that year went unsolved. The station's report also notes a stark disparity in how different types of homicides get resolved: 2021 bureau data showed fatal gun shootings had a clearance rate of just 32%, compared to 65% for homicides that didn't involve a firearm.
That gap mirrors a national pattern. FBI data reported in late 2022 showed the nationwide homicide clearance rate had dropped to an all-time low of roughly 50%, driven largely by low solve rates in firearm homicides, per the same KGW report. Gun homicides like Jones's often lack the physical evidence or cooperative eyewitnesses that make other cases easier to close.
How Security Guards Are Regulated in Oregon
Jones's work as an unarmed security guard placed him under Oregon's regulatory framework for private security personnel. The state's Department of Public Safety Standards and Training requires individuals in that role to complete 14 hours of state-approved training, pass a background check, and carry active credentials or a temporary Form PS-20 permit, according to the agency's own standards.
A Key Tip Resource Is Disappearing
As Jones's case sits unresolved, one of the region's longtime tools for generating new leads is shutting down. Crime Stoppers of Oregon, an independent nonprofit that offered anonymous rewards of up to $2,500 for tips leading to arrests in unsolved local homicides, announced this month that it is dissolving its program after 43 years, according to KGW. The organization had paid out more than $250,000 in rewards over its history. With that channel closing, independent advocacy from family members and true-crime creators like the hosts of Murder in the Rain remains one of the few forces still actively working to keep Jones's case in public view.
