A man arrested last year for his role in a fatal park brawl now faces attempted murder and assault charges.
Roger Dale Elliott, 24, of Northeast Portland is being held on $750,000 bail at the Multnomah County Inverness Jail on charges filed Thursday, March 21, of attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault in which he allegedly stabbed the mother of his child's new boyfriend.
Elliot pleaded not guilty to the charges during his Thursday arraignment.
Gresham police arrested Elliott on Sept. 23, 2012, following a knife fight between 10 people at Pat Pfeifer Park in the 300 block of Northeast 172nd Avenue. The fight killed Destiny A. Smith, 23, of Gladstone, who died at the hospital. Her death remains the only unsolved homicide of the five Gresham police investigated last year.
Elliott is accused of trying to kill a different person, Henry Real one of three people injured in the fight.
Real was transported to a hospital for emergency surgery on serious stab wounds to the chest, abdomen and an eviscerated bowel, according to court documents.
The two men met at the park to fight over a woman Real was dating, who had a child with Elliott.
Witnesses reported seeing Elliott armed with a knife in each hand and Real armed with one knife. Mutual friends tried to stop the fight from happening and one even took Real's knife away from him.
Once Real was unarmed, he was knocked to the ground. Witnesses saw Elliott on top of Real striking him repeatedly in the ares where he was injured.
Because of the gang ties of those involved, both suspects and victims were not cooperative with police.
But one day after the fight, police arrested Elliott for violating his parole on convictions of being a felon in possession of a weapon and for unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Six months later, on Wednesday, March 20, police added attempted murder and assault charges to the list of charges he is facing.
Smith's death remains under investigation. Anyone with information about either case is asked to call the Gresham police tipline at 503-618-2719 or 888-989-3505.