June 9, 2025
Portland, OR- Today, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Christopher Ramras sentenced 28-year-old Wyatt Belcher to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. A Multnomah County jury convicted Belcher on June 6, 2025, of killing a stranger at a drum circle. The jury deliberated for just an hour. The jury found him guilty of Murder in the Second Degree with a Firearm, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon with a Firearm. The victim of these crimes is Ash Smith. Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Devin Franklin prosecuted the case for the state. She was assisted by Deputy District Attorney Morgan Ashton.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Detective Brad Clifton and the Portland Police Bureau for their excellent work on this case.
MCDA would also like to thank MCDA Victim Advocate Lyssa Simmons for supporting Ms. Smith’s family for the duration of this case. MCDA would also like to acknowledge MCDA Investigator Anthony Merrill for his assistance leading up to and during the trial.
THE FACTS:
May 8, 2022 around 11:43pm witnesses called 911 to report a woman had been shot. Witnesses later told police they had been at a drum circle attended by a large group of people. At the end of the event as people were packing up they heard a loud bang. One person thought it was a fireworks show but then saw the victim fall to the ground. The witness said a man walked away then returned and had a gun in his hand. The man was later identified by police as Belcher. The witness said the defendant racked the slide on the gun and asked if the woman was dead then asked the witness if he wanted to be shot as well. The defendant then walked away.
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