TWO MEN CONVICTED AGAIN ON RAPE AND SODOMY CHARGES IN RETRIAL 25 YEARS LATER
- 01/16/26
January 16, 2026
Portland, OR- A Multnomah County Jury found two men guilty of sodomy and rape for an attack they committed in the Portland area back in the year 2000. It's the second time the men have been tried and convicted for the crime.
The defendants are Michael Lavon Rhone and Mathew Charles Monhead.
They were charged with Rape in the First Degree and Sodomy in the First Degree.
The original trial in 2001 found them guilty but with a split jury verdict of 10 guilty and two not guilty. The split verdict was allowed under law at the time and the men went to prison.
However, The Ramos v. Louisiana decision by the US Supreme Court in 2020 found that non unanimous verdicts for felony cases violated the Sixth Amendment of the constitution. The subsequent outcome of the Watkins v. Ackley Oregon Supreme Court case in 2022 meant that anyone convicted of a felony by a non unanimous jury was entitled to a new trial, which the men requested.
Deputy District Attorney Quinn Zemel led the new trial for the state. After the conviction he said:
“I am proud of the work of law enforcement that made this re-trial possible. This verdict will allow the defendants to continue to be held accountable and provides a continued sense of justice for the victim.”
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Sergeant Jason Sery with the Beaverton Police Department. He was a Portland Police Officer at the time of the crime. He spotted the attack underway and arrested both defendants. Sgt. Sery returned to court to testify in the case. Afterward he said: “I’m incredibly grateful for all the hard work and investigation that went into this retrial.”
THE FACTS:
On August 9th, 2000 a woman was walking home in the Portland area and was attacked in an alley by the defendants who were 17-years-old at the time. Both were strangers to her. The two restrained, raped and sodomized their victim. After being convicted in 2001 the defendants served their 200 month prison sentences. As a result they face no new jail time from this verdict.
###MCDA###
TWO MEN CONVICTED AGAIN ON RAPE AND SODOMY CHARGES IN RETRIAL 25 YEARS LATER
- 01/16/26
January 16, 2026
Portland, OR- A Multnomah County Jury found two men guilty of sodomy and rape for an attack they committed in the Portland area back in the year 2000. It's the second time the men have been tried and convicted for the crime.
The defendants are Michael Lavon Rhone and Mathew Charles Monhead.
They were charged with Rape in the First Degree and Sodomy in the First Degree.
The original trial in 2001 found them guilty but with a split jury verdict of 10 guilty and two not guilty. The split verdict was allowed under law at the time and the men went to prison.
However, The Ramos v. Louisiana decision by the US Supreme Court in 2020 found that non unanimous verdicts for felony cases violated the Sixth Amendment of the constitution. The subsequent outcome of the Watkins v. Ackley Oregon Supreme Court case in 2022 meant that anyone convicted of a felony by a non unanimous jury was entitled to a new trial, which the men requested.
Deputy District Attorney Quinn Zemel led the new trial for the state. After the conviction he said:
“I am proud of the work of law enforcement that made this re-trial possible. This verdict will allow the defendants to continue to be held accountable and provides a continued sense of justice for the victim.”
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Sergeant Jason Sery with the Beaverton Police Department. He was a Portland Police Officer at the time of the crime. He spotted the attack underway and arrested both defendants. Sgt. Sery returned to court to testify in the case. Afterward he said: “I’m incredibly grateful for all the hard work and investigation that went into this retrial.”
THE FACTS:
On August 9th, 2000 a woman was walking home in the Portland area and was attacked in an alley by the defendants who were 17-years-old at the time. Both were strangers to her. The two restrained, raped and sodomized their victim. After being convicted in 2001 the defendants served their 200 month prison sentences. As a result they face no new jail time from this verdict.
###MCDA###
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