PORTLAND, Ore. — A grand jury has indicted teens for the murder of a 65-year-old man in North Portland, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday.
Aaron L. Criswell, 16, and Richard J. Rand, 15, are facing one count of first-degree murder with a firearm, two counts of second-degree murder with a firearm, one count first-degree robbery with a firearm, one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle with a firearm, and one count of first-degree burglary.
According to the indictment, both boys "unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly" caused the death of Ricky Malone Sr. using a 12-gauge shotgun.
Criswell and Rand, along with a 14-year-old boy, were arrested Oct. 22. The district attorney's office said they can't identify the 14-year-old boy. Criswell and Rand are being charged as adults under Ballot Measure 11, which only applies to juveniles who are at least 15 years old.
Police believe Malone's death was part of a larger crime spree that took place early in the morning on Oct. 14.
That spree started when Criswell and Rand met up with the 14-year-old boy at his house, with the intention of committing a home invasion robbery, according to an affidavit filed by Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill.
READ: Teens accused of killing 65-year-old man in North Portland also involved in crime spree, police say
All three wore masks. Rand had a clown mask and Criswell was armed with a shotgun when they tried to break into the home in the 10200 block of North Midway Avenue, but they were scared off when the homeowner yelled at them, the affidavit says.
While they were fleeing the house, they came across Malone, whose car was idle in the 10200 block of North Mohawk Avenue as he picked up cans. The group demanded that he give them his car, police said. When Malone refused, he was shot in the chest at close range.
In the hours after the shooting, police received several calls about a trail of hit-and-runs before they found Malone's car crashed and abandoned in the 8500 block of North Hodge Avenue. His vehicle was badly damaged and there was blood covering the driver’s side, police said.
Officers searching the car found a fast food receipt and later determined the 14-year-old suspect had driven Malone's car through a drive-thru hours after Malone's death. The distinctive shirt the boy was wearing in the surveillance video was later discovered at his parents' house, police said.
Investigators say Malone enjoyed collecting bottles and cans and would do so routinely, and that he had planned to meet a family member at a bottle and can redemption center later that morning.