A jury convicted an Oregon man who fatally shot a mother of five children at a drum circle event in 2022 after only one hour of deliberation.
According to a press release from the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, Wyatt Storm Belcher, 28, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
A jury convicted Belcher of second-degree murder on Thursday after deliberating for an hour, according to The Oregonian.
Belcher was convicted of fatally shooting Ash Smith, a 31-year-old mother who was at a drum circle event in Portland on May 8, 2022.
Court documents obtained by local CBS affiliate KOIN state that after the drum circle crowd dispersed, multiple witnesses heard a loud bang and saw a woman — later identified as Smith — fall to the ground. Onlookers stayed to help Smith, who had a gunshot wound in the back of her neck.
Deputy District Attorney Devin Franklin stated in a press release obtained by McClatchy News that, “While [Smith] did not deserve Wyatt Belcher’s senseless ambush, she did deserve the compassion that the witnesses on scene showed her during her final moments.”
Despite being deeply and personally affected by what they witnessed, three of those individuals mustered the courage to testify in this trial.”
Portland police quickly located Belcher after several witnesses provided a description of the gunman, who was still carrying his weapon. The DA’s office stated in a press release that Belcher “racked the slide on the gun and asked if [Smith] was dead, then asked the witness if he wanted to be shot as well.”
The shooting appeared to be totally random. Police said Belcher and Smith had no known relationship.
According to KOIN, Smith was homeless at the time of her death.
A witness who spoke with the outlet shortly after the incident stated that she saw Smith “going around asking people for $6” in the moments leading up to her death, adding that “she didn’t have anything to take.”
On a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Smith’s funeral, family members stated that she was “given a difficult hand in life,” but “was a good-hearted person.”
Belcher, whose trial was repeatedly delayed and declared unfit for trial at one point, was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and schizoaffective disorder, according to court documents obtained by KOIN. He was later cleared to stand trial.
