A Portland woman is facing additional criminal charges after attempting to hire someone to murder witnesses for her already pending criminal case. She has been charged with several felonies including four counts of attempted aggravated murder and five counts of solicitation of aggravated murder.
According to prosecutors, the 23-year-old woman had been in Multnomah County jail awaiting trial on robbery charges when she allegedly offered to pay someone to kill the couple that she had supposedly robbed at gunpoint. More specifically, police claim that she asked other people in the jail to arrange for someone on the outside to commit the murders.
Supposedly the couple had been targeted after reporting that the woman had robbed them. During the robbery the woman had threatened to hurt the couple's children if they reported her. She has already pleaded not guilty to the robbery charges in connection with that case. At this time, it is unclear how she will proceed with the new felony charges.
People may think that since no violent crime actually took place, that charges in cases like these would be less serious. However, that is not the case. In some situations, even the threat of violence or plotting to carry out a violent crime is enough for people to be charged with felonies.
Despite the fact that no one was physically hurt in these types of situations, the consequences are still very severe and can include more than a year in prison. Furthermore, as a felon people can lose their right to vote, have difficulty finding employment, limit where they can live and lose their right to own firearms. Many of these consequences are life-long and will not go away after people have completed their prison time.
Source: The Oregonian, "Portland woman in custody accused of solicitation of murder, attempted murder," Maxine Bernstein, April 8, 2013
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