Suspect Charged With Murder After Elderly Man Dies From Portland Attack

PORTLAND, Ore. — An elderly man has died two weeks after being viciously beaten in an unprovoked attack in downtown Portland.

82-year-old Donald Pierce and 88-year-old Allen Lichtenstein were assaulted at Southwest 5th and Hall on the evening of June 25th.  Police said on Tuesday that Pierce died at the hospital last week.

Court documents state 29-year-old Keffer White punched and kicked the men while they were on the ground and headbutted one of them.  Police say he was heard and seen laughing at the victims because they were “old men” and witnesses reported that he said he was going to kill the victims.

White was indicted by a Multnomah County grand jury on Thursday for Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the First Degree and Assault in the Second Degree.  He has a criminal history including four felony convictions, three misdemeanors and more than 20 parole violations.  He says he has been homeless for 13 years.  A mental health assessment states that he is bipolar and suffers from panic attacks.

This is Portland’s 46th homicide of the year.

Related | Portland’s Homicides Of 2022

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