A rioter arrested in Portland was quickly released and now he stands accused of stabbing two people to death just a week later.
KOIN News 6 reports:
Cassy Leaton, 22, and Najaf “Nate” Hobbs, 39, were stabbed on June 16 near Northeast Davis Street. Police arrested Phillip Lawrence Nelson, 39, two days later. He faces two murder charges and is being held without bail.
Just days before he allegedly killed Leaton and Hobbs, though, Nelson was taken into custody at a protest in downtown Portland. Court records show he was arrested on charges of interfering with a peace officer. Those charges were dismissed the next day.
Leaton and Hobbs were reportedly stabbed in the basement of the building they were living in.
Police allegedly found a long-bladed knife and “significant amount of blood” inside the basement.
The murder may have stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the two victims and Nelson.
Nelson is expected to appear in court at the end of the month, he is facing two counts of first-degree murder.