HILLSBORO, Ore- On December 18, 2024, a Washington County jury found Jimmy Travon Pierce, age 39, guilty of murder in the second degree with a firearm and attempted murder in the first degree with a firearm. Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard and Deputy District Attorney Alyssa Camp prosecuted this case before Judge Oscar Garcia.
In the early morning hours of May 19, 2017, officers were dispatched to the Xpose nightclub in Beaverton, Oregon after a report of a shooting. They found the murder victim in this case, Ramon Harris, suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and chest. He was rushed to the hospital but later died as a result of the shooting. Police also contacted Robert Nelson, the attempted murder victim, at a nearby apartment complex. Mr. Nelson reported having to dive behind parked vehicles to avoid being shot. Those vehicles, a Chrysler 300 and a limo bus, both had bullet damage. Investigators recovered a total of eight spent shell casings at the Xpose scene. The shooter, Mr. Pierce, fled the area before police arrived.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage taken from inside Xpose and saw that Mr. Pierce was inside the club with his gang associates when the victims entered the club with a group of friends. Both groups of men had ties to various Portland criminal gangs and began arguing with each other. Mr. Pierce was seen exiting the club shortly before Mr. Harris and Mr. Nelson. The shooting then occurred in the parking lot.
Investigators were able to link the spent shell casings at the Xpose scene to a separate shooting in Southeast Portland that occurred six days earlier using the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). That shooting location allowed investigators to obtain cell phone data, pursuant to search warrants, linking Mr. Pierce to both shooting locations. Additionally, DNA evidence collected at the Xpose scene was later confirmed to match Mr. Pierce.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office acknowledges the work of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Beaverton Police Department, and the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory on this case. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled on January 2, 2025. Until then, Mr. Pierce remains in the custody of the Washington County Jail without bail pending his sentencing.
HILLSBORO, Ore- On December 16, 2024, Brian James Henning, age 34, pleaded guilty to four charges related to the sexual abuse of three minors and was sentenced to 35 years in prison by Washington County Circuit Court Judge Oscar Garcia. Senior Deputy District Attorney Andy Pulver prosecuted this case.
The defendant began sexually abusing two minors in August of 2023. When their mother learned of the abuse, she confronted the defendant and he admitted to molesting the children. The mother contacted law enforcement immediately. Medical experts with CARES Northwest spoke with the children and they provided additional details, including the fact that the defendant had recorded one of the victims during an act of abuse.
Hillsboro police interviewed the defendant. He again admitted to abusing the children. Investigators secured and executed a search warrant for his apartment. They found additional evidence corroborating the accounts of the first and second child victims. Investigators also forensically analyzed the defendant’s phone and recovered evidence of the sexual abuse of the third child victim.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office acknowledges the work of the Hillsboro Police Department, CARES Northwest, and the Northwest Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory on this case.
Mr. Henning will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.
HILLSBORO, Ore- On November 22, 2024, a Washington County jury found David Keith Hilton, age 39, guilty of sodomy in the first degree constituting domestic violence, sexual abuse in the first and third degree constituting domestic violence, and harassment constituting domestic violence. On November 25, 2024, Judge Brandon Thompson sentenced the defendant to 100 months in prison. Deputy District Attorney Katherine Miller, a member of the Domestic Violence Team, prosecuted this case.
The defendant engaged in sexual relations while the victim slept and without her consent. The victim called Hillsboro police on an unrelated matter and told them of these incidents. Investigators spoke with the defendant, and he admitted to initiating sexual contact while the victim was asleep.
While in custody at the Washington County Jail, the defendant violated a no-contact order when he made several calls to the victim. In one call, he urged her to drop the charges against him.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to commend the victim in this case for the bravery shown throughout the legal process. This office also acknowledges the work of the Hillsboro Police Department.
In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Thompson also ordered the defendant to register as a sex offender and to serve post-prison supervision upon his release.
HILLSBORO, Ore- On November 22, 2024, a Washington County jury found Daniel Ryan Gore, age 18, guilty of murder in the first degree, rape in the first degree, and sexual abuse in the first degree following a two-week trial. Senior Deputy District Attorneys John Gerhard and Andy Pulver prosecuted the defendant before Judge Ricardo Menchaca.
On May 8, 2022, the defendant raped and murdered the victim in this case, Milana Li. Milana was just 13 years old at the time of her death.
SDDA Pulver told the jury that the defendant was a wolf in sheep’s clothing as he lured Milana into a false sense of security before he brutally raped and killed her in a wooded area of Beaverton near where the defendant was living out of a tent. Prosecutors used surveillance footage and cell phone tracking data to prove Milana was last seen alive with the defendant around 7:45 p.m. the night of her murder.
The victim was reported missing by her mother the next afternoon when she returned home after working the night shift. She expected Milana to be home but couldn’t locate her. She assumed Milana went to school early but grew increasingly concerned after she confirmed the teenager was not at school.
News of Milana’s disappearance spread quickly throughout the community. Milana’s friend decided to look for her in a wooded area she was known to visit from time to time. The friend and her mother went to the area, found clothing and shoes belonging to Milana, and called the police.
Investigators searched the area and quickly found Milana’s body half-submerged under a weighted-down blanket in a creek. Packaging straps linked to the blanket were found in Mr. Gore’s tent near Progress Ridge. Investigators also later linked DNA evidence found inside the victim to that of the defendant.
Investigators quickly identified Mr. Gore as a person of interest. When police tried to approach him in a Beaverton library two days later, he ran out of the building via an emergency exit. He was located and arrested a short time later. Investigators learned the defendant called his then-girlfriend after the murder and told her something bad happened but that he, “took care of it.”
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office sends condolences to Milana’s family, friends, and loved ones. This office also acknowledges the work of Detective Cindy Herring, the Beaverton Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office – Forensic Sciences Unit, and the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory on this case.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 2, 2024, at 1:30.