November 15, 2019

Convicted murderer sentenced to life in prison for raping, killing 15-year-old girl

KATU

PORTLAND, Ore. – On Thursday, a judge sentenced Martin Allen Johnson to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 1998 rape and murder of 15-year-old Heather Fraser.

Johnson had previously been convicted of aggravated murder back in 2001. In 2017, however, an appeal of the conviction was upheld due to “inadequate representation” on Johnson’s defense team.

He was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder in his new case under guidelines established by the recently-passed Senate Bill 1013, which also limits the use of the death penalty in Oregon.

During the two-week trial, prosecutors from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office proved that Johnson drugged, raped and killed Fraser before throwing her body off a bridge and into the Columbia River in Astoria.

Investigators quickly identified him as a suspect, and he was caught in Florida more than a year after the killing.

Last week, a jury found him guilty on all eight counts.

https://kcby.com/news/local/convicte...heather-fraser