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Cellmate Indicted in Clackamas Jail Killing Pleads Not Guilty

An internal probe follows inmate accounts of delayed intervention during the Oct. 18 cell assault.

Overview

  • A Clackamas County grand jury charged 23-year-old Sapastian Year with first-degree murder for an in-custody killing and with harassment in a separate incident, and he is being held without bail after pleading not guilty.
  • Investigators say 26-year-old Reece Richeson was beaten in a disciplinary-housing cell on Oct. 18 and died at OHSU in the early hours of Oct. 21.
  • Reporting indicates Year allegedly attacked another cellmate on Oct. 9; jail staff placed him with Richeson on Oct. 10, and they shared a cell for about a week before the fatal assault.
  • The sheriff’s office says it is conducting its own investigation along with a standard review of jail policies and procedures, with no outside agency assigned to the case.
  • Other detainees report pressing emergency call buttons and describe a prolonged beating, while the agency faces criticism for delayed public disclosure and for lacking a policy to announce deaths in custody.