SCAPPOOSE, Ore. — A man is accused of killing the Scappoose woman who had been providing him with a place to clean up in an apparent episode of paranoid violence on Tuesday, according to witness statements detailed in court documents.
Derek Lee Welter, 40, faces charges of second-degree murder, first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon for the fatal stabbing of 34-year-old Rhiannon Amelia Meyer. Court documents indicate he was homeless, and Meyer would let him shower and do laundry at her home.
Meyer's friends described her as a vibrant person, who did everything she could to be good to others.
"She was an amazing spirit; she'd give you the shirt off of her back. Anything, for anybody, at any time," said Brandy Shult, a friend of Meyer who'd known her for 12 years. "She enjoyed life, she enjoyed her family, her friends, and she did whatever she could for anybody."
Shult said she became friends with Meyer through their working in the tavern business in Scappoose. Rhiannon worked at Longfellow's Inn. She was a well-known bartender in town.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in court, officers with the Scappoose Police Department were dispatched to an assault call at Meyer's home on Southwest 4th Street shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Her mom, Debra Meyer, had called 911, saying that her daughter had been stabbed and was bleeding out. The man who had stabbed her daughter, Derek Welter, had left the scene in his pickup truck, the affidavit says.
Officers arrived on scene to find Rhiannon Meyer in her mom's arms outside the front door.
"Debbie was holding a cloth to Meyer's neck," the affidavit says. "Officer Johnson saw Meyer had multiple deep stab wounds to her neck ... (and a) deep wound to Meyer's abdomen."
Officers tried to resuscitate Rhiannon Meyer but could not save her.
According to the affidavit, Debra explained that Welter was homeless, and Rhiannon had been letting him shower and do laundry at her house. But when he came over on Tuesday, Welter was "acting weird" and couldn't form complete sentences. Welter's mother had been there earlier as well, but she left because she was "afraid of him."
Debra said that Welter seemed paranoid and may have been using methamphetamine. While she hadn't seen him use the drug, she told police that he'd used it in the past.
Rhiannon had been in the kitchen, according to Debra's statement, when Welter suddenly stabbed her with a "switch blade" knife. After the attack, Welter got in his pickup truck and left the scene, the affidavit says.
Around 6:45 p.m. that evening, police found Welter's truck near Gunners Lake in Scappoose. As officers approached, the driver backed away — heading to a dead end at the end of the road. Unsure if Welter was armed, officers from multiple agencies cordoned off the area and waited.
At 9 p.m., an Oregon State Police SWAT team arrived and began moving in toward the truck, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. They arrested Welter at gunpoint around 11:30 p.m.
Rhiannon Meyer leaves behind a daughter. Her friends describe her as a wonderful mother.
"I feel horrible for her family," Shult said. "Her mom's amazing, her aunt's amazing, all of her friends and family are amazing, and I feel really badly for her little girl."
Those who knew Rhiannon are planning a candlelight vigil to honor her on Friday night.
Welter's criminal history
Welter was arraigned on Thursday in a Columbia County courtroom. A judge ordered him held without bail.
Prosecutors filed the probable cause statement related to the deadly stabbing as supporting evidence in a previous case, arguing that Welter's supervised release should be revoked so that he can be held in jail pending trial.
Beyond a single citation, Derek Welter had no criminal record in Oregon prior to 2021. But particularly this year, that rapidly began to change. At the time of Rhiannon Meyer's killing this week, Welter had three pending criminal cases, one of them involving felony charges.
Probable cause affidavits in several of the cases have been sealed by the court, meaning there are few details about the circumstances of the alleged crimes. Welter was not submitted to a mental health evaluation in any of the cases.
In March, Welter committed first-degree criminal trespass at a home in St. Helens. He pleaded guilty and received a sentence of two years' bench probation. He later violated the terms of his probation, according to court docs, reviving the case.
In late September, Welter allegedly attacked another man, earning a fourth-degree assault charge. He was allowed out on release, and the case is ongoing.
On November 23, Welter allegedly "unlawfully and maliciously" killed a dog named Shadow. He was charged with first-degree aggravated animal abuse, but he bailed out of jail on Dec. 8. It's this case under which the Columbia County District Attorney's office filed the affidavit related to Rhiannon Meyer's killing, arguing that Welter's release should be revoked for violating the terms.