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Portland Jury Acquits Gary Edwards in TriMet Stabbing After Self-Defense Claim

Jurors said prosecutors failed to disprove self-defense because key footage lacked audio.

Overview

  • Edwards, 43, was found not guilty of second-degree assault for stabbing Gregory Howard Jr., 43, at the Union Station MAX platform on July 7.
  • Transit surveillance without audio shows Edwards approaching with a fixed-blade knife, Howard standing to push him, a brief struggle, and a stab to the shoulder.
  • Police body-camera footage captured Howard using a racial slur after officers arrived, while the men offered conflicting accounts about whether the slur occurred before the stabbing.
  • Prosecutor Katherine Williams argued Edwards created the encounter and that post-attack language was irrelevant, but the jury returned a not-guilty verdict on Oct. 31.
  • Both men are homeless and have criminal histories, including a 2020 light-rail stabbing by Edwards and a 1997 felony rape conviction for Howard.