July 15, 2019

Murder charge filed against Roger Justice Jones for allegedly killing woman in SE Portland

Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced the filing of a single count charging document against 57-year-old Roger Justice Jones for the alleged murder of 46-year-old Huyen Cao. 

According to the charging document, Jones unlawfully and intentionally caused the death of Ms. Cao. 

This investigation started on May 17, 2019 when employees at a care facility in southeast Portland located Ms. Cao unresponsive inside her room, according to court documents. 

Employees called 9-1-1 but medical personnel determined Ms. Cao deceased on scene, a probable cause affidavit states. 

The next day, on May 18, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office concluded Ms. Cao died of asphyxia due to manual strangulation, and determined her death to be the result of homicidal violence. 

During the investigation, law enforcement obtained video that shows a person, later identified as Jones, entering and leaving Ms. Cao’s room, according to court documents. The video shows Jones entering the room on two separate occasions, court documents state. 

On July 12, 2019, law enforcement contacted Jones to discuss the video, according to the affidavit filed by Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Nicole Hermann. During the interview, according to court documents, Jones admitted to choking Ms. Cao. 

Jones was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. 

He was scheduled to appear in Multnomah County Circuit Court on July 15, 2019 for an arraignment. 

This remains an ongoing investigation and no other details can be provided. 

A charging document is only an accusation of a crime. Jones is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  

#MCDA#

Brent Weisberg
Communications Director 
Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office
503.988.6567
Email: Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us