September 2, 2020
PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that 36-year-old Michael Frank Moody received a 118 month prison sentence for physically assaulting a homeless woman using a baseball bat and then raping her.
At the time of these crimes, the victim lacked any local support system.
“Michael Moody was opportunistic and took full advantage of the victim’s vulnerabilities and offered to help her in early January 2019,” said Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Sean Hughey, who prosecuted this case. “Instead of helping, Mr. Moody lured her to an abandoned house where he physically and sexually assaulted her and ultimately left her injured and abandoned. Mr. Moody showed a willingness to commit multiple different and distinct criminal acts against this victim during his horrific assault.”
As part of its sentencing recommendation, the state informed the court that Moody’s criminal history spans nearly 20 years, which includes seven Class A misdemeanors and five felony convictions.
“This is an important sentence as it addresses the victim’s right to justice, protects our community and holds Mr. Moody accountable for the crimes he committed. No matter a person’s circumstances in life, we all deserve protection under the law. I am proud of the work my office did to support the victim throughout this case. She was exposed to significant physical and emotional trauma, including being threatened if she proceeded to cooperate with the criminal proceedings but she remained committed to ensuring justice,” said District Attorney Mike Schmidt.
In Multnomah County, there have only been two trials, including State v. Moody, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The trial required the use of two courtrooms to ensure physical distancing and public access. Other safety measures were taken during this trial to protect jurors, attorneys, court staff, Moody and community members.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office recognizes the patrol officers assigned to the Portland Police Bureau’s Central Precinct who played a crucial role identifying the suspect based on a nickname. We also acknowledge and thank Portland Police Bureau Detective Matt Estes (retired) and Nathan Wollstein.
Furthermore, we recognize the work of District Attorney Victim Advocate Vanessa Palacios for the support and advocacy she provided the victim.
The victim in this case does not want media contact. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office is requesting media respect her privacy and refrain from attempting to contact her.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Sexual Assault Victim Advocate (SAVA) program provides 24- hour on-call response to victims of sexual assault in Multnomah County.
Volunteers and staff respond to all local area hospitals to provide accompaniment for forensic medical exams, crisis intervention, resource referrals and emotional support. This immediate crisis intervention service is then followed by ongoing support and advocacy throughout the investigation and prosecution of the case. The SAVA Program volunteers respond to approximately 270 sexual assault call outs each year.
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Media Contact:
Brent Weisberg, Communications Director
Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office
Email: Brent.Weisberg@nullmcda.us